University  of  California 

Southern  Regional 

Library  Facility 


' 


MY  COUNTRY 


"Are  you  there,  Senator?  ....    Why  couldn't  Billy  Hartmann 

be  made Assistant  Chief-of-Staff  to  the  Commander-in- 

Chief?"  (Page  80) 


MY  COUNTRY 


A  STORY  OF  TODAY 


BY 


GEORGE  ROTHWELL  BROWN 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY 
CHASE    EMERSON 


BOSTON 
SMALL,  MAYNARD    &   COMPANY 


PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,   1917 

BY  SMALL,  MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 

(INCORPORATED) 


THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  CAMBRIDGE,  U.S.A. 


TO 

Z.  H. 


2134255 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I   STRANGERS  AT  THE  DOOR i 

II  A  FRIEND  OF  THE  FAMILY 10 

III  PURPLE  EYES 17 

IV  SUNSHINE  AND  SHADOW 26 

V  THE  IDOL  ON  THE  ALTAR 36 

VI  "THEN  I'LL  COME  BACK  TO  You  "  .    .  45 

VII    THE  CALL  ACROSS  THE  SEA 60 

VIII  MR.  MONSON  READS  A  LETTER  ....  73 

IX  WAITING  ORDERS 82 

X  ADDED  ATTRACTION^ — MLLE.  FRALLI    .  92 

XI  A  LITTLE  TRIP  TO  NAMASCHET  ....  109 

XII  A  VOICE  IN  THE  DARK 120 

XIII  CORRLE  GIVES  A  PARTY 145 

XIV  IN  SPITE  OF  ALL  YOUR  HEART   ....  161 
XV  ELFRIEDA  HAS  AN  IDEA 172 

XVI  THE  PATHWAY  TO  A  STAR 181 

XVII  A  WILDCAT  IN  A  CAGE 193 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

XVIII  THE  LAND  OF  YESTERDAY     .    .  .    . 

XIX  THE  BLACK  LEATHER  CASE  .  .  .  . 

XX  MR.  MONSON  GETS  AN  EYEFUL  .  . 

XXI  THE  SPARK  ON  THE  CHIMNEY  .  .  . 

XXII  THE  PARTING  OF  THE  WAYS  .  .  . 

XXIII  STRAIGHT  OUT  TO  SEA,  FIVE  MILES 

XXIV  "  How  CAN  I  LEAVE  THEE  ?  "  . 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

"Are  you  there,  Senator?  .  .  .  Why  couldn't 
Billy  Hartmann  be  made — Assistant  Chief- 
of-Staff  to  the  Commander-in-Chief  ? "  See 

Page  80 Frontispiece 

"That,  Frieda,"  he  said,  "is  your  flag — against 
everything" 172 

She  could  not  face  the  look  that  lay  in  his  eyes     220 


MY   COUNTRY 


MY  COUNTRY 

CHAPTER   I 

STRANGERS   AT   THE  DOOR 

"Elfrieda!" 

There  was  no  answer. 

"  Elfrieda!  "  Mrs.  Sigbert's  voice  was  deep,  yet 
shrill.  There  was  silence  as  she  stood  intently,  an 
elderly  woman,  with  a  huge  nose  that  was  not  quite 
exactly  in  the  centre  of  her  large,  plain  face,  and 
snapping  black  eyes.  Some  one  in  the  front  of  the 
house  began  strumming  the  piano  again,  monoto- 
nously and  rebelliously.  Mrs.  Sigbert  resumed  her 
work,  re-arranging  the  table,  smoothing  the  cloth, 
that  was  already  wrinkleless,  and  changing  the 
plates  about.  Presently  she  called : 

"Charlotte!    Charlotte!" 

The  kitchen  door  opened,  and  Charlotte  Sigbert, 
the  eldest  daughter,  came  into  the  room,  a  tall,  un- 
gainly, heavy- featured  woman,  all  elbows,  hips  and 
knees,  and  strikingly  like  her  mother,  having  the 
same  large,  crooked  nose  and  swarthy  complexion. 

i 


MY   COUNTRY 

Her  eyes  redeemed  the  composite  ugliness  of  her 
personality.  These  were  large  and  luminous,  as  if 
glowing  from  some  light  within.  She  inclined  her 
coarse,  heavy  head  inquiringly. 

"  Charlotte !  "  Mrs.  Sigbert's  voice  was  pitched 
in  the  tone  of  command  she  always  used.  "  The 
big  dictionary  from  the  sitting-room,  and  tell  Helena 
to  hurry  with  the  sofa  pillows.  It  is  too  bad  that 
we  have  no  high  chairs.  I  am  afraid  the  children 
will  not  be  able  to  sit  at  the  table." 

Charlotte  left  the  room,  and  returned  almost  im- 
mediately with  the  book  hugged  against  her  bosom. 
She  placed  it  in  one  of  the  chairs.  Helena,  drab 
and  quiet  as  a  mouse,  followed  her,  with  an  armful 
of  bright  red  and  blue  plush  sofa  pillows,  which 
her  mother  took  from  her  and  put  into  another  of 
the  eight  chairs  ranged  around  the  table,  which  had 
been  lengthened  that  afternoon  by  the  addition  of 
extra  leaves  so  that  it  almost  completely  filled  the 
dining  room. 

"  Nun!  .  .  .  Everything  is  ready.  Go  tell  Elsa 
not  to  forget  the  bay  leaf  in  the  soup.  They  should 
be  here  now,"  added  Mrs.  Sigbert,  dusting  a  bit  of 
lint  from  the  tablecloth.  "  The  train  was  to  arrive 
at  five.  I  hope  that  Greta  did  not  miss  them  at  the 
station.  You  should  have  gone,  Charlotte,  you, 
who  know  them,  not  Greta,  who  has  not  seen  her 

2 


STRANGERS    AT    THE    DOOR 

uncle  since  she  was  a  baby.     Suppose  she  should 
have  missed  them  ?  " 

"  I  described  them  to  her,"  replied  Charlotte. 
"  She  could  not  make  a  mistake.  You  know  I 
could  not  go,  I  had  a  lesson  at  four." 

There  was  the  noise  of  a  door  slamming,  a 
commotion  in  the  front  hall,  and  a  girl's  voice 
shouting : 

"  Here  they  are !    They  've  come." 

It  had  grown  dark  out  of  doors,  and  the  hall 
gas  had  not  been  lighted.  Mrs.  Sigbert  untied  her 
heavy,  dark  apron,  slipped  it  in  the  closet,  and  stood 
at  the  door,  listening.  There  was  the  sound  of  a 
man's  step,  slow  and  uncertain.  She  drew  in  her 
breath  expectantly.  In  a  moment  a  big,  bearded 
man  in  a  heavy  fur  coat,  and  wearing  a  sealskin 
cap,  came  into  the  room,  blinking  at  the  light.  He 
gazed  about  him,  embarrassed,  then  took  off  his 
spectacles,  which  were  frosted  with  snow,  and  put 
them  into  his  pocket. 

"Lottie!"  he  cried.  "Well,  here  I  am.  You 
received  my  letter?  " 

"  Yesterday,"  answered  Mrs.  Sigbert,  staring  at 
the  half-brother  whom  she  had  not  seen  for  nearly 
fifteen  years. 

"  Then  you  know  that  I  am  bringing  the  chil- 
dren —  my  boys  ?  " 

3 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Sigbert,  kissing  him,  and 
studying  his  face.  "  You  have  changed.  You  are 
much  older  than  I  had  expected.  You  do  not  look 
well." 

"  I  am  well,"  he  answered,  and  patted  her  shoul- 
der awkwardly.  He  shook  hands  with  Charlotte 
and  Helena,  and  kissed  them  on  both  cheeks.  His 
eyes  roved  over  the  room,  and  stopped  when  they 
rested  upon  a  picture  of  the  young  Kaiser  in  a  big, 
bronze  frame  that  hung  above  the  mantel.  "  It 
is  like  home,"  he  said. 

"  It  is  the  same  as  Germany  in  my  house,"  replied 
his  sister  simply.  "  Here  I  have  everything  that 
is  to  me  my  Fatherland." 

"You  are  still  not  happy?" 

"  Yes,  and  no."  she  answered  slowly.  "  This 
is  not  my  country,  and  my  Alfred  is  gone,  but  I 
have  my  children,  and  I  live  in  them." 

"  Maybe  you  will  not  be  so  lonely,  now  that  I  am 
here,"  suggested  her  brother,  hopefully. 

Charlotte  and  Helena  shrugged  their  shoulders. 

"  This  is  not  my  country,"  repeated  Mrs.  Sig- 
bert.  "  I  remain  because  the  business  is  not  settled 
yet.  Alfred  left  no  will,  and  there  has  been  much 
confusion.  And  then,  when  you  go  back,  it  will 
be  worse,  it  always  is  when  Charlotte  goes 
back  every  Summer.  Have  you  come  on  busi- 

4 


STRANGERS    AT    THE    DOOR 

ness?  I  hope  you  will  stay  with  us  long."  She 
took  his  coat,  from  which  he  was  struggling  to  free 
himself. 

"  Be  with  you  long?  "  he  repeated,  looking  at  her 
as  if  astonished  by  the  question.  "  Forever.  I 
shall  never  return  to  Germany.  That  part  of  my 
life  is  finished." 

"You  are  not  going  back!"  cried  his  sister  in 
amazement. 

His  face  was  turning  red,  the  cords  in  his  neck 
showed  like  whalebones  above  his  collar,  and  the 
veins  on  his  temples  stood  out  under  the  skin  like 
knotted  cords.  He  slowly  clenched  and  unclenched 
his  long,  muscular  hands.  Into  his  blue  eyes  flamed 
up  a  light  that  made  the  girls  step  back  quickly, 
their  lips  parted. 

"  Never." 

"  Not  going  back  ?  "  stammered  his  sister.  "  Is 
Louisa,  then,  to  join  you  here  later  on  ?  " 

"  I  shall  never  see  her  again,"  he  said  brokenly. 
He  stood  there  gulping  at  them  stupidly,  his  eyes 
filling  with  tears. 

His  sister  went  swiftly  to  him.  "  Gott  im  Him- 
mel,  Albert !  Tell  me,  she  is  not  dead  ?  " 

Her  brother  dully  shook  his  head.  His  mouth 
quivered.  Words  came  into  his  throat  only  to  die 
there,  strangled.  His  whole  body  began  to  shiver, 

5 


MY    COUNTRY 

his  knees  to  tremble.  He  felt  for  a  chair,  and  sat 
down. 

"  Not  dead,"  he  said  at  length,  faintly,  when  he 
had  controlled  himself.  Suddenly  his  limp  hands 
became  two  rigid  fists,  and  he  dug  his  nails  into  his 
palms.  "Worse  than  dead,"  he  moaned.  "  Ach, 
Gott,  Lottie,  if  she  were  only  dead."  He  began 
rocking  his  huge  body,  backward  and  forward. 
"  For  a  month  I  have  held  in  my  grief  for  the 
kindchen.  They  do  not  know,  and  they  must  never 
know,  you  must  never  tell  them." 

"  Gott  im  Himmel! "  said  Mrs.  Sigbert,  and  fell 
to  cracking  the  joints  of  her  big,  coarse,  raw-boned 
hands.  "  Gott  im  Himmel!  " 

"  He  was  the  Colonel  of  the  garrison  at  Diissel- 
dorf,"  continued  her  brother,  when  he  had  grown 
more  calm,  "  Count  von  Heidenreich,  a  Prussian, 
tall,  handsome,  wealthy,  a  dashing  figure  of  a  man. 
The  women  spoke  often  about  him.  We  met  him, 
how,  I  do  not  know.  We  did  not  know  him,  and 
suddenly  we  knew  him,  that  is  all  I  can  remember. 
He  called  at  our  house.  I  was  flattered.  It  meant 
much  to  me,  for  he  was  influential.  Why  should 
I,  Albert  Hartmann,  although  my  business  was 
good,  and  I  was  prosperous,  be  the  friend  of  such 
a  great  man,  one  of  the  nobility?  It  turned  my 
head.  I  was  proud  to  be  seen  with  him.  He  was 

6 


STRANGERS    AT    THE    DOOR 

interested  in  me,  and  said  that  he  could  obtain  a 
contract  for  me,  and  —  " 

"  That  was  kind  of  him,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Sig- 
bert  "  A  von  Heidenreich !  " 

"  He  got  the  contract  for  me,  through  the  Min- 
ister. I  was  happy.  I  saw  my  fortune  made.  I 
went  up  to  Hamburg  on  this  business,  and  was 
gone  two  months.  I  came  back.  I  suspected  noth- 
ing at  first.  And  then,  one  day  —  I  had  no  warn- 
ing. I  thought  I  should  lose  my  senses.  I  rushed 
from  the  house,  leaving  Louisa  on  her  knees,  for 
she  had  confessed." 

He  paused,  exhausted.  Charlotte  and  Helena 
slily  exchanged  a  morbid  glance. 

"  I  did  not  know  what  to  do,"  he  went  on, 
"  where  to  go.  I  ran  here  and  there,  and  finally 
I  saw  him,  and  then  I  realized  I  had  been  searching 
for  him  all  the  time.  He  was  walking  with  some 
officers,  and  sought  to  pass  me  by.  I  struck  him !  " 

"  Albert ! "  cried  his  sister,  "  you  struck  a  von 
Heidenreich  ?  " 

"  I  did,  thank  God,  I  did.  He  drew  his  sword, 
and  tried  to  cut  me  down,  cut  me  down  like  a  dog,  in 
the  street.  I  fought  him,  and  he  would  have  killed 
me,  but  some  people  got  in  the  way,  and  I  saw  how 
hopeless  it  was.  I  escaped,  otherwise  I  would  not 
be  here  now.  And  he  would  have  gone  free  if  he 

7 


MY    COUNTRY 

had  killed  me,  for  that  is  the  law.  It  would  have 
been  his  right  to  kill  me,  his  duty,  for  I  had  struck 
an  officer.  But  I,  because  I  had  dared  to  raise  my 
hand  against  him,  I  would  have  gone  to  prison.  I 
saw  my  danger.  I  rushed  to  my  home,  my  pretty 
home,  all  ruined,  ruined,  ruined !  I  took  the  twins, 
Wilhelm  and  Karl.  They  are  my  heart,  mine,  mine, 
mine.  I  gathered  them  into  my  arms,  just  as  they 
were.  Fortunately  I  did  not  have  to  wait  for  a  train, 
and  in  three-quarters  of  an  hour  I  was  over  the 
frontier  in  Rotterdam,  and  safe." 

"  Albert !  "  cried  his  sister,  and  began  weeping. 

"  At  London  I  wrote  to  you,  for  I  thought  I  would 
go  to  America.  I  had  always  longed  to  go,  ever 
since  my  boyhood.  Well,  here  I  am,  to  stay.  God 
help  me,  I  am  through  with  Germany." 

The  family  stood  grouped  about  him,  in  silence. 
Greta  Sigbert,  who  had  met  the  visitors  at  the  rail- 
road station,  and  had  brought  them  to  the  house, 
had  come  into  the  room  as  he  was  speaking,  and 
stood  in  the  shadows,  by  the  hall  door.  By  her  side 
were  two  sturdy  little  figures,  muffled  up  in  woolly 
coats,  and  wearing  small  round  caps  on  their  closely- 
cropped  heads.  They  were  clasping  hands,  and  star- 
ing around  them  with  wide-open  blue  eyes. 

"  Hush !  "  said  the  father,  "  here  are  Wilhelm  and 
Karl.  They  must  not  know." 

8 


STRANGERS    AT    THE    DOOR 

"  Which  is  which?  "  asked  Mrs.  Sigbert,  stooping 
to  kiss  them ;  "  I  do  not  see  how  you  can  tell  them 
apart.  Take  the  dictionary  and  the  sofa  pillows 
away,  Charlotte,"  she  added,  "  they  are  larger  than 
I  had  imagined  they  would  be ;  they  are  not  babies." 

The  sliding  door  between  the  dining  room  and  the 
drawing  room  slowly  opened,  and  two  big  violet 
eyes  calmly  surveyed  them.  Presently  the  crack 
widened,  and  a  slender,  graceful,  long-legged  child 
wriggled  through.  A  heavy  mane  of  dark  brown 
curly  hair  fell  down  around  a  little  face  of  the  Ital- 
ian type,  a  haunting  face,  the  kind  of  face  that  artists 
love. 

Mrs.  Sigbert  motioned  towards  her,  nodding  at 
her  brother. 

"  Elfrieda,  whom  you  have  never  seen,"  she  said. 
"  She  was  born  in  America." 


CHAPTER   II 

A    FRIEND    OF    THE    FAMILY 

The  Sigberts  were  transplanted  Americans  who 
had  sprouted  but  one  root.  When  they  had  come  to 
the  United  States,  nearly  fifteen  years  before,  they 
had  not  left  Germany  —  they  had  brought  it  with 
them.  They  lived  in  the  German  style,  ate  German 
food  cooked  in  the  German  way,  and  until  the  chil- 
dren went  to  the  public  schools,  were  as  little  subject 
to  American  influences  as  if  they  had  been  living 
still  in  their  old  home  in  Diisseldorf.  Mrs.  Sigbert 
read  nothing  but  German  books  and  German  news- 
papers, and  although  she  could  not  prevent  the  chil- 
dren from  learning  English  in  the  schools,  and  did 
not  desire  to  do  so,  for  she  was  ambitious  for  them, 
and  wanted  them  to  speak  and  read  all  the  modern 
languages,  she  insisted  upon  the  exclusive  use  of 
German  in  the  family  circle. 

Mr.  Sigbert,  a  slender  little  man,  with  such  a 
stoop  in  the  shoulders  that  he  seemed  at  first  glance 
to  be  a  hunchback,  was  very  nearsighted,  and  as  he 
was  never  able  to  recognize  anybody  upon  the  street, 

10 


A    FRIEND    OF    THE    FAMILY 

and  was  always  engrossed  in  his  studies  when  he 
was  at  home,  he  gradually  retired  within  himself  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  very  pall-bearers  who  carried 
his  body  from  the  house  when  he  died  had  never 
known  him.  He  conducted  a  business  in  astronomi- 
cal and  scientific  instruments  which  his  family  knew 
so  little  about  that  after  his  death  his  widow  prob- 
ably would  have  lost  it  entirely,  but  for  the  inter- 
vention of  an  old  friend,  who  had  removed  from 
Prussia  about  the  time  that  they  had  come  to  Amer- 
ica, and  who  took  charge  of  it  for  her,  organized  a 
company  to  assume  the  management,  and  gradually 
put  it  upon  a  sound  and  substantial  basis.  Thus  the 
property  was  conserved,  and  two  years  after  her  hus- 
band's death  Mrs.  Sigbert  found  herself  in  comfort- 
able circumstances.  She  hoped  eventually  to  be  able 
to  withdraw  entirely  from  the  business,  and  return 
to  Germany,  where  the  eldest  daughter,  Charlotte, 
went  every  summer,  to  study  music  in  the  schools  at 
Berlin  and  Munich. 

She  had  never  known  why  her  husband  had  left 
Germany,  and  had  come  with  him  only  because  he 
had  packed  the  family  off  one  day,  without  any  ex- 
planation, selling  his  business  in  Diisseldorf,  and 
starting  anew,  in  the  same  line,  when  he  had  reached 
America.  A  silent  man,  always  buried  in  a  book 
when  he  was  not  at  his  laboratory,  Mr.  Sigbert  had 

ii 


MY   COUNTRY 

no  confidants,  not  even  his  wife,  who  gradually  be- 
came to  him  little  more  than  a  housekeeper.  Almost 
as  soon  as  he  had  arrived  he  took  out  his  first  natu- 
ralization papers,  and  then  forgot  all  about  it,  and 
so  never  completed  the  legal  process  of  becoming  a 
citizen,  although  he  had  announced  to  his  family 
that  it  was  his  intention  to  do  so.  The  ambiguous- 
ness  of  his  position  as  a  man  practically  without  a 
country  did  not,  apparently,  concern  him,  and  he 
died  to  all  intents  neither  a  German  nor  an  American. 

Mrs.  Sigbert  said  little.  She  knew  how  to  keep 
her  own  counsel,  but  she  had  never  renounced  her 
citizenship,  legally  or  spiritually,  and  would  have 
scoffed  the  idea  that  she  was  anything  but  a  German. 
Three  of  the  daughters.  Charlotte,  the  eldest, 
Helena,  and  Greta,  had  been  born  in  Prussia,  and 
only  the  youngest,  Elfrieda,  bound  the  family  to  the 
soil  and  flag  of  their  adopted  country. 

There  is  some  vitalizing  quality  in  the  climate  of 
America  that  gives  to  its  native  sons  and  daughters 
that  indefinable  stamp  of  nationality  that  is  the  out- 
ward sign  of  the  American  character,  that  mysteri- 
ous something  that  is  the  common  heritage  of  all 
who  were  born  north  of  the  Rio  Grande,  clear  to  the 
Arctic  Circle,  that  makes  the  Mississippi  cotton 
planter  the  brother  of  the  Michigan  lumberman  and 
the  Gloucester  fisherman,  and  the  fair-haired,  blue- 

12 


A    FRIEND   OF    THE    FAMILY 

eyed  boy  one  generation  from  the  fjords  of  Norway, 
and  reared  in  a  Rocky  Mountain  canon  two  hundred 
miles  from  any  visible  influence,  blood  kin  to  the  de- 
scendants of  the  Puritan  and  the  Cavalier.  Elfrieda 
had  this  heritage,  which  has  put  its  unmistakable 
imprint  upon  everything  American,  from  the  Indian 
who  first  saw  the  Half  Moon  in  the  Hudson,  to  the 
very  newest  mite  of  humanity  squalling  in  a  basket 
on  an  Allen  street  fire-escape.  Elfrieda,  for  this 
reason,  was  a  great  trial  to  Mrs.  Sigbert. 

The  arrival  of  her  half-brother,  although  it  had 
pleased  her,  for  loyalty  to  blood  was  a  strong  family 
trait,  was  at  the  same  time  a  cause  of  much  concern 
to  her.  For  many  months  she  had  secretly  cherished 
the  dream  of  returning  to  Germany  to  live,  and  it 
had  been  her  intention  to  suggest  this  plan  as  soon 
as  her  husband's  business  affairs  had  been  settled. 

Now,  she  feared,  an  obstacle  had  arisen  to  pre- 
vent the  carrying  out  of  this  great  scheme.  Her 
brother  not  only  was  firm  in  his  determination  never 
again  to  return  to  Germany,  but  he  was  enthusiastic 
in  his  efforts  to  become  an  American  citizen  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and  interested  himself  in  this 
project  even  before  he  had  established  himself  in 
business,  which  his  sister  had  insisted  was  the  first 
duty  he  owed  to  himself  and  to  his  boys. 

"  There  is  time  enough  for  that,"  her  brother  said 
13 


MY    COUNTRY 

on  one  occasion,  when  she  brought  the  subject  up, 
"  I  have  ample  means  for  the  present,  and  it  is  better 
that  I  should  look  about  carefully  before  I  invest 
my  money." 

"  You  will  see  Adolph  Bruch  tonight  ?  "  she  asked, 
as  if  she  were  craving  a  favor. 

"  You  think  I  should  take  his  advice  in  business 
matters  ?  " 

"  He  has  done  everything  for  us,"  replied  his  sis- 
ter ;  "  without  him  I  am  afraid  we  would  have  lost 
the  property.  As  it  is,  its  value  has  been  increased. 
He  is  the  very  man  for  you  to  talk  to." 

As  a  result  of  this  conversation  Mr.  Hartmann 
finally  made  a  small  investment  in  a  lumber  com- 
pany, one  of  the  minor  units  in  the  enterprise  which 
Mr.  Bruch  was  then  quietly  organizing  into  a  great 
trust  that  was  reaching  out  beyond  the  borders  of 
his  own  State,  where  he  was  already  supreme.  Mr. 
Hartmann  knew  nothing  about  lumber,  but  he  was  a 
shrewd  and  conservative  business  man,  and  the  step 
he  had  just  taken,  in  breaking  away  from  the  social 
and  economic  ties  of  a  lifetime,  having  given  him 
a  vigorous  mental  jolting,  his  natural  prudence  be- 
came tempered  with  the  spirit  of  adventure.  He 
threw  himself  into  his  work  with  the  desperate 
energy  of  a  man  whose  life  had  been  shaken  to  its 
foundations,  and  in  a  short  time  he  had  firmly  estab- 

14 


A    FRIEND    OF    THE    FAMILY 

lished  himself  as  an  aggressive  factor  in  the  lumber 
world,  a  man  to  be  reckoned  with. 

His  sister's  pride  was  mingled  with  regret.  She 
was  glad,  for  his  sake,  that  he  was  doing  well,  but 
she  saw  in  his  success  an  impediment  to  her  own 
plan. 

"  He  will  never  return  to  Germany,"  she  thought. 
She  realized  that  it  would  be  harder  for  her  to  go, 
leaving  him  behind.  "  The  two  boys,  too,"  she 
added  to  herself,  "  they  will  not  want  to  leave, 
now." 

Wilhelm  and  Karl  had  adapted  themselves  to 
their  new  surroundings  with  the  philosophy  of 
youth.  With  the  very  first  new  clothes  that  had 
been  bought  for  them  to  replace  the  things  they 
had  worn  on  the  long  journey  from  Dusseldorf, 
they  had  become  American  boys,  for  such  is  the 
levelling  influence  of  a  coat.  Their  hair  had  grown, 
and  they  would  not  have  it  clipped  again. 

''  The  boys  laugh  at  me,"  said  Wilhelm,  explain- 
ing his  objection  to  his  aunt.  "  I  am  always  fight- 
ing them  as  it  is.  They  have  got  to  stop  calling 
me  '  Wilhelm/  too.  My  name  is  William." 

And  William  it  became  in  the  family  until  El- 
frieda  shortened  it  to  "  Billy."  After  that  there 
was  less  fighting  to  be  done.  Names  travel  from 
the  home  and  the  back  yard,  to  the  street  and  the 

15 


MY   COUNTRY 

school  room.  It  was  not  long  before  Billy  Hart- 
mann  had  established  himself  and  his  name  as  a 
part  of  the  small  life  of  the  neighborhood,  and  as 
time  went  on,  and  the  scenes  of  his  early  childhood 
faded  from  his  memory,  he  thought  of  himself  as 
being  not  at  all  different  in  any  way  from  his  com- 
panions. But  Karl  remained  Karl. 


16 


CHAPTER    III 

PURPLE    EYES 

Mrs.  Sigbert  sat  in  the  sunny  bow  window  of  her 
pleasant  dining  room.  Ranged  in  regular  order 
upon  the  flower  stand  at  her  back  were  the  plants 
upon  which  she  lavished  a  mother's  care,  upstand- 
ing, green,  without  a  faded  leaf  to  mar  their  fresh- 
ness. They  always  had  just  enough  sun,  just 
enough  water,  and  no  more. 

The  silver  and  glass  on  the  sideboard  sparkled 
from  vigorous  application  of  polish  and  soap.  The 
dishes  in  the  china  closet  shone,  like  so  many  bright- 
eyed  children  who  had  just  had  their  faces  washed. 
The  mahogany  gleamed  in  the  sunlight,  without  a 
blemish.  On  the  window-sill  lay  a  big  gray  cat, 
asleep.  Billy  was  playing  marbles  on  the  rug  with 
Frieda,  who  was  growing  into  a  rangy  child,  as 
fond  of  out-door  sports  as  any  boy.  Their  voices 
rose  in  shrill  dispute. 

"Children!  Children!"  cried  Mrs.  Sigbert, 
"  quarrel  in  German !  Frieda !  You  are  teaching 
your  cousin  to  forget  his  native  tongue.  You  must 
speak  German  in  the  house." 

'7 


MY   COUNTRY 

Frieda  paid  no  attention,  but  reached  over  slily, 
and  seized  a  marble. 

"  Give  that  to  me,"  said  Billy,  angrily. 

"  I  shan't,  it 's  mine." 

"  It  is  not." 

"  You  said  I  could  have  all  the  blue  ones." 

"  That  one  is  not  blue,  it  is  purple,  like  your 
eyes." 

"  My  eyes  are  not  purple." 

"  They  are,  too,  Aunt  Lottie,"  said  Billy  stoutly. 
"  They  are  that  way  often,  not  all  the  time,  but  I 
have  seen  them  when  they  were." 

"  You  children  should  quarrel  in  German,"  in- 
sisted Mrs.  Sigbert.  "  I  do  not  want  to  speak  about 
it  again,  Elfrieda." 

Elfrieda's  eyes  began  to  blaze,  a  sign  that  her 
mother  had  learned  not  to  ignore.  It  meant  that 
her  mind  was  made  up,  that  all  the  stubborn  in- 
stincts of  her  nature  were  in  revolt,  that  nothing 
could  move  her. 

"  You  speak  German  well  now,  but  you  will  for- 
get it,"  sighed  Mrs.  Sigbert. 

"  Oh,  bother,"  replied  Elfrieda,  searching  for  an- 
other blue  marble. 

"  You  listen  in  German,  but  you  answer  in  Eng- 
lish. Why  do  you  not  speak  German,  sing  in 
German  ?  " 

18 


PURPLE    EYES 

"  Oh,"  answered  Elfrieda,  "  it  is  ugly,  it  is  ... 
hinausge  strung! " 

lt  What  can  I  do  with  such  a  child  ?  "  cried  poor 
Mrs.  Sigbert. 

The  three  older  girls  spoke  English  without  the 
slightest  accent,  for  even  Charlotte  had  gone  to 
school  long  enough  to  have  mastered  it,  not  as  a  stu- 
dent, but  as  one  who  is  obliged  to  use  it  every  day ; 
but  Mrs.  Sigbert,  and  Elsa,  the  cook,  whom  they 
had  brought  from  Germany  with  them,  after  so 
many  years,  still  spoke  it  so  brokenly  as  to  be  at 
times  almost  unintelligible.  But  whatever  they 
lacked  in  accent  they  made  up  in  volubility. 

For  the  benefit  of  Billy  and  Karl,  who  had  been 
sent  to  school  with  Elfrieda,  the  whole  family,  de- 
spite Mrs.  Sigbert's  protests,  had  gradually  come  to 
abandon  the  use  of  German  as  the  language  of  con- 
versation, so  that  the  twins  were  able  to  make  great 
progress  in  mastering  the  new  tongue  through 
which  they  would  have  to  obtain  their  education. 
Elfrieda  took  such  advantage  of  this  that  she  exas- 
perated her  mother  still  more  by  refusing  to  sing  in 
German.  The  little  songs  which  she  was  compelled 
to  practise  were  in  German,  but  she  made  up  Eng- 
lish words  for  them,  and  nearly  drove  her  mother 
wild  by  singing  barbaric  jingles  in  slang,  composed 
on  the  spot,  to  the  tunes  of  quaint  old  German  folk 

19 


MY   COUNTRY 

songs.  Between  keeping  her  at  the  piano  for  two 
hours  every  afternoon,  and  three  hours  on  Satur- 
days, and  preventing  her  from  desecrating  the 
music  of  the  Fatherland,  Mrs.  Sigbert  sometimes 
felt  that  she  had  little  time  left  to  devote  to  her 
principal  object  in  life,  which  was  to  keep  the  house 
immaculate,  from  cellar  to  garret. 

"  It  is  time  to  study  your  lessons,"  said  Mrs.  Sig- 
bert, looking  at  the  clock.  The  sun  had  gone  down 
beyond  the  hills,  over  whose  crest  a  bank  of  storm 
clouds  were  gathering.  She  rose,  pulled  down  the 
shades,  and  lighted  the  gas,  and  the  children,  look- 
ing at  each  other  hopelessly,  put  their  marbles  in  the 
bag  and  dragged  themselves  to  the  dining  table, 
which  was  covered  with  a  bright  red  cloth.  They 
got  out  their  books,  and  fell  into  an  argument. 

"  We  will  do  the  arithmetic  first,"  said  Billy. 

"  No,  the  history  first,"  insisted  Elfrieda  with 
determination.  Billy  put  down  the  arithmetic. 
"  There  is  to  be  an  examination  tomorrow,  and  I 
am  almost  sure  to  be  called  on  to  recite  '  The  Mid- 
night Ride  of  Paul  Revere.'  " 

"  Himmel!  "  said  Mrs.  Sigbert,  "  what  nonsense 
is  that  ?  It  is  not  the  proper  thing  to  be  putting  such 
ideas  into  the  minds  of  the  young.  Midnight!  It 
is  not  a  good  hour  for  any  child  to  be  taking  a 
ride." 

20 


PURPLE    EYES 

"  You  don't  understand,  Aunt  Lottie,"  laughed 
Billy.  "  This  Paul  Revere  —  " 

"  Don't  tell  me,  I  don't  want  to  hear  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Sigbert.  "  I  suppose  it  has  something  to  do 
about  that  Bunker  Hill  that  Elfrieda  was  fretting 
about  the  other  night." 

"  I  was  perfect  in  it,"  said  Frieda  proudly,  "  and 
passed.  If  I  had  n't  known  about  that  I  would  have 
failed.  I  remembered  the  date  and  everything." 

"  Do  you  remember  the  date  of  the  birth  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great?"  asked  Mrs.  Sigbert  bitterly. 
"  Why  do  they  not  teach  the  history  of  Prussia,  and 
of  the  German  Empire,  in  the  schools?  " 

"  But  mother,"  said  Frieda,  "  that  would  be  all 
right  in  Germany.  This  is  the  United  States." 

"  It  is  not  my  country,"  answered  Mrs.  Sigbert. 
"  You  are  learning  in  the  schools  to  be  Americans, 
not  Germans." 

"  That  is  right.  That  is  as  it  should  be."  Mrs. 
Sigbert  looked  up,  and  saw  that  her  brother  had 
come  into  the  room. 

"  As  it  should  be  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Are  my  chil- 
dren to  be  weaned  away  from  their  mother?  It  is 
nothing  to  me,  this  Bunker  Hill,  and  yet,  if  El- 
frieda does  not  know  the  date  she  cannot  pass,  and 
all  her  time  is  wasted  at  school." 

"  Children  must  know  the  history  of  their  coun- 

21 


MY   COUNTRY 

try,  else  they  cannot  be  good  citizens,"  said  Mr. 
Hartmann. 

"  Citizens  ?  That  is  not  necessary  .  .  .  My 
husband  —  " 

"  I  think  it  is  very  necessary,"  said  her  brother. 
"  They  are  to  live  here,  are  they  not  ?  They  will 
go  from  the  school  to  the  college,  they  will  go  into 
business,  or  a  profession,  and  marry  —  " 

"  Elfrieda  and  I  ?  "  spoke  up  Billy,  rising  quickly, 
and  leaning  across  the  table. 

"What's  that?" 

"  Elfrieda  and  I  will  get  married,  you  said,"  an- 
swered Billy,  looking  at  her. 

"  Why  —  why  —  I  did  not  say  that,"  replied  his 
father. 

"  You  did,  sir,"  insisted  Billy.  "  That  is  right, 
we  are  going  to  get  married,  are  n't  we,  Frieda?  " 

"  You  are  silly,"  said  Elfrieda.  "  I  am  going 
on  the  stage  and  be  a  —  a  great  dancer,  the  great- 
est in  the  world.  Kings  and  emperors  —  and  — 
dukes  will  pay  to  get  in  and  —  and  stand  up  at  the 
back." 

"  I  cannot  permit  that,  Frieda,"  answered  Billy 
slowly.  "  We  are  going  to  get  married.  Father 
said  so." 

"  I  was  speaking  generally,"  laughed  Mr.  Hart- 
mann. "  I  said  you  would  grow  up,  and  go  into 

22 


PURPLE    EYES 

business,  and  get  married,  and  have  children  of 
your  own,  all  of  you,  I  mean,  everybody,  boys  like 
you  and  girls  like  Frieda.  You  will  form  ties  here 
that  cannot  be  broken  without  tearing  the  heart- 
strings from  you.  I  hope  you  two  will  never  come 
to  that.  I  want  you  to  stay  here  always." 

"  This  is  my  country,  I  shall  stay,"  said  Billy, 
"and  Frieda  will  stay  with  me,  won't  you?  " 

"  You  cannot  learn  to  be  a  dancer  here,"  an- 
swered Elfrieda.  "  I  think  I  shall  go  away  to 
study,  like  Charlotte." 

"  That  is  nonsense,"  said  Mrs.  Sigbert ;  "  who 
put  such  notions  in  your  head?  The  money  we 
have  must  be  spent  on  Greta." 

"  Frieda  sings  better  than  Greta,"  said  Billy.  "  I 
would  rather  listen  to  her  sing  than  anybody  in  the 
world.  There  is  something  —  I  cannot  tell  you 
how  it  makes  me  feel  when  I  stand  in  the  doorway, 
when  she  does  not  know  that  I  am  there,  and  listen 
to  her  sing." 

"  You  must  not  do  that,"  cried  Frieda,  but  flashed 
at  him  nevertheless  a  look  from  her  dark  violet 
eyes  that  made  him  blush  to  the  roots  of  his 
hair. 

"  Come !  come !  "  said  Mr.  Hartmann,  laughing 
heartily.  A  tall,  heavy-set  man,  with  a  clearer  skin 
than  men  of  his  race  and  age  usually  have,  the  time 

23 


MY   COUNTRY 

he  had  spent  in  America  had  taken  the  sorrow 
from  his  eyes,  and  there  was  a  firmness  about  the 
mouth,  and  an  alertness  of  movement  that  were 
new  to  him.  The  competition  of  business  life  had 
given  him  American  mannerisms,  a  crispness  of 
speech  and  activity  of  motion  that  made  him  seem 
like  a  different  man.  He  stood  looking  down  at  the 
two  children,  and  patted  Elfrieda  on  her  head. 
"  You  are  too  young  yet,  to  think  about  such 
things,  and  you  are  cousins,  too." 

"  They  are  half  cousins,"  corrected  Mrs.  Sigbert. 

"That  is  so.  Well,  perhaps,  who  can  tell?  It- 
would  not  be  so  bad,  after  all,  eh?"  He  stooped 
suddenly,  and  kissed  the  girl  upon  the  hair. 
"  Look,"  he  said,  taking  a  black  leather  case  from 
his  pocket,  "  see  here,  Frieda,  Billy  and  Karl  are 
Americans  now,  as  you  are." 

"  As  Frieda !  "  cried  Mrs.  Sigbert.  "  She  is 
German." 

"  She  was  born  in  America,"  said  her  brother. 
"  This  is  her  native  land,  and  now  it  is  my  country, 
too." 

He  opened  the  case,  and  spread  some  papers  upon 
the  table.  "  See,"  he  said,  "  the  courts  have  made 
me  an  American  citizen.  I  am  an  American  now, 
by  the  law,  and  I  have  made  Billy  and  Karl  Ameri- 
cans, also." 

24 


PURPLE    EYES 

The  door  opened,  and  Karl  came  in,  with  Char- 
lotte, who  had  taken  him  to  a  concert. 

"  Look,  Karl,  my  naturalization  papers,"  said 
his  father.  "  I  did  not  tell  any  of  you  about  it 
until  I  had  got  all  of  them.  I  am  an  American." 


CHAPTER    IV 

SUNSHINE   AND    SHADOW 

"  Do  it  for  me,  Wilhelm,"  begged  Karl,  one  morn- 
ing, as  they  were  going  out  to  school. 

"  Go  get  your  own  picture  taken,"  returned  Billy, 
"  and  moreover,  stop  calling  me  Wilhelm.  I  won't 
have  it." 

"Will  you  do  it?" 

"  I  am  going  to  play  ball  this  afternoon,"  replied 
Billy,  thinking  of  another  excuse. 

"  It  won't  take  but  a  minute,  just  a  tintype." 

"  Oh,  all  right  then." 

"  If  it  were  n't  for  this  boil  on  my  nose  I  would  n't 
ask  you,"  said  Karl.  "  I  can't  get  my  picture  taken 
like  this,  and  —  I  've  got  to  have  it,  that 's  all." 

"  I  suppose  you  want  it  for  that  Schoenleber  girl," 
remarked  Billy,  giving  his  brother  an  exasperating 
look. 

"  You  quit  now,  Wilhelm." 

"If  you  don't  stop  calling  me  Wilhelm  I  '11  give 
you  something  else  on  your  nose  besides  a  boil," 
said  Billy,  flaring  up. 

26 


SUNSHINE    AND    SHADOW 

"  I  '11  stop  it,  if  you  're  so  fussy,"  agreed  Karl, 
ungraciously.  "  The  main  thing  is  to  get  the  pic- 
ture. Margaretha  is  going  away  tomorrow." 

"  Oh!  "  jeered  Billy,  "  so  you  do  want  it  for  your 
girl." 

"  I  guess  I  've  got  as  much  right  to  have  a  girl  as 
you  have,"  cried  Karl  angrily. 

"  Huh !    I  have  n't  got  any  girl,  I  —  " 

"You  have  so,"  said  Karl  spitefully.  "Isn't 
Elf rieda  your  girl  ?  Everybody  knows  it." 

"  Well,  anyhow,"  answered  Billy,  turning  red, 
"  I  've  got  sense  enough  to  pick  out  a  pretty  one." 

"  Elf  rieda  is  n't  any  prettier  than  Margaretha," 
Karl  blazed  up. 

"  Don't  you  say  that  again." 

"  It 's  the  truth." 

"  It  is  n't." 

"  It  is." 

The  two  boys  stood  on  the  steps,  glaring  at  each 
other. 

"  Then  I  won't  have  my  photograph  taken  for 
you,"  grinned  Billy.  "  I  don't  want  Margaretha  to 
be  carrying  my  picture  around  with  her  anyhow, 
even  if  she  does  think  it 's  yours." 

"  You  've  got  to  do  it,"  said  Karl  desperately. 
"  Just  look  at  this  boil.  Besides,  you  've  promised." 

"  All  right,"  Billy  said,  "  I  '11  do  it  for  you,  Karl." 
27 


MY    COUNTRY 

"  Do  what?  "  demanded  Frieda,  joining  them  on 
the  front  porch. 

"  Oh,  nothing,"  said  Karl,  looking  away.  "  Don't 
tell."  His  eyes  implored. 

"  All  right,  I  won't,"  said  Billy,  "  but  you  've  got 
to  walk  a  chalk  line  with  me  hereafter."  Karl  was 
humbled.  The  three  started  off  to  school,  Billy 
carrying  Elfrieda's  books. 

At  the  gate  Margaretha  Schoenleber,  who  lived 
next  door,  came  up,  and  they  walked  down  the  street 
together. 

"  Why  don't  you  carry  my  books,  Karl?  "  asked 
Margaretha,  who  was  hurriedly  finishing  her  break- 
fast on  the  sidewalk.  Invariably  late,  she  always 
came  rushing  from  the  house  at  the  last  minute, 
mouth  and  hands  full.  This  morning  she  was  clutch- 
ing a  handful  of  seed  cakes. 

Karl,  blushing,  took  her  books.  Thereafter  she 
made  more  progress,  and  presently  was  able  to  take 
part  in  the  conversation. 

"  You  will  have  the  picture  today,  Karl  ?  "  she 
whispered,  swallowing  the  last  remnant  of  crumbs. 

He  nodded. 

"  Mine  came  last  night,"  she  went  on.  "  I  will 
give  you  one  this  afternoon  —  if  you  really  want 
it." 

"  Of  course  I  want  it,  Margaretha."  He  looked 
28 


SUNSHINE    AND    SHADOW 

at  her  sidevvise,  under  his  hat-brim,  and  she  turned 
away,  her  face  quite  pink. 

Margaretha  was  as  tall  as  Elfrieda,  and  as  fair 
as  she  was  dark,  but  her  complexion  was  beginning 
to  show  the  effect  of  too  much  heavy  food,  for  the 
Schoenlebers  sometimes  ate  six  meals  a  day,  and 
Margaretha  was  already  suffering,  in  looks,  the  con- 
sequences of  gluttony.  A  naturally  good  figure  was 
being  spoiled.  In  a  few  years  she  would  be  fat,  but 
as  a  young  girl  she  was  as  yet  wholesome  looking 
and  robust.  Karl  was  blind  to  any  defects,  present 
or  prospective.  He  saw  only  that  her  eyes  were  blue, 
like  the  sky,  that  her  heavy  hair  was  yellow,  the 
color  of  corn-silk. 

That  afternoon,  when  school  was  out,  Karl  held 
Billy  to  his  promise. 

"Can't  we  put  it  off  until  tomorrow?"  asked 
Billy.  "The  ball  team  —  " 

"  It  must  be  done  now,  or  not  at  all,"  replied 
Karl,  squinting  ruefully  at  the  boil  on  his  nose. 

"  Well,  come  on,  then." 

They  went  around  the  corner,  where  an  artist  in 
tin-types  had  a  studio,  a  big,  wagon-like  affair, 
without  any  wheels,  in  a  yard  next  to  a  grocery 
store.  On  the  fence  in  front  was  a  glass  case,  con- 
taining many  specimens  of  his  work. 

"  I  want  one  like  that,"  said  Karl,  indicating  an 
29 


MY   COUNTRY 

atrocious  tin-type  that  looked  as  though  it  had  been 
taken  by  the  light  of  Vesuvius. 

"All  right."  They  walked  in,  and  Billy  sat 
down,  put  his  head  into  an  iron  frame,  and  began 
glaring.  The  photographer  gave  the  rack  a  twist 
that  nearly  dislocated  his  neck,  and  stood  off  and 
surveyed  him  approvingly,  one  eye  closed,  his 
tongue  in  his  cheek. 

"  Be  quick,"  said  Billy,  "  you  are  killing  me." 

The  artist  enshrouded  himself,  and  raised  a  warn- 
ing hand. 

"  Hold  on,"  cried  Karl,  suddenly  leaping  in  front 
of  the  camera. 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"  You  have  on  a  blue  tie.  I  never  wear  blue 
ones." 

"  It  will  not  show  blue  in  the  picture,"  said  the 
photographer,  scowling.  "  You  have  spoiled  a  fine 
pose." 

"  I  never  wear  that  kind  of  a  necktie,"  insisted 
Karl,  "and  besides,  look  at  that  high  collar.  I 
never  wear  collars  like  that." 

"  Let 's  call  it  off,  then,"  answered  Billy,  relieved. 

"  No,  no,  you  must  change  collars  with  me." 

"  Hang  it,  Karl,  you  are  too  much  trouble." 

"  Think  of  my  boil,"  pleaded  Karl.  "  I  would 
do  as  much  for  you." 

30 


SUNSHINE   AND    SHADOW 

"  Well,  all  right  then."  Billy  took  off  his  collar 
and  tie,  and  put  on  Karl's,  and  settled  himself  once 
more  into  the  inquisitorial  instrument  of  torture. 

"  Wait,"  cried  Karl,  "  you  must  put  on  my  coat, 
too," 

Billy  glared,  but  put  on  the  coat.  "  Now,"  he 
said,  "  shall  I  take  off  my  shoes  ?  " 

"  They  won't  show  in  the  picture,"  replied  Karl, 
seriously. 

"  You  are  stupid,  Karl,"  said  Billy.  "  Well,  I  'm 
ready  now."  The  picture  was  taken,  and  they 
waited  until  the  artist  had  completed  the  lightning- 
like  development. 

"  It  is  fine,"  said  Billy. 

"  She  will  never  know  the  difference,"  admitted 
Karl;  "  you  look  exactly  like  me." 

"  I  do  not,"  said  Billy  angrily,  "  you  look  like 
me." 

Karl  felt  that  he  could  afford  to  be  generous,  and 
silently  conceded,  for  the  time  being,  the  point  that 
was  always  in  dispute  between  them.  They  walked 
out. 

"  Here  comes  Neil  Lawson,"  and  Billy  called  to 
him.  Neil  was  his  most  intimate  friend,  a  good 
looking  little  fellow,  with  a  bright  eye  and  as  clean- 
cut  and  dapper  as  a  fox  terrier.  He  came  bound- 
ing up  joyously. 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Say,"  said  Karl,  turning  toward  his  brother, 
"you  won't  tell  him?" 

"  Why  not?"  demanded  Billy,  who  had  reached 
that  stage  where  he  told  Neil  everything.  "  It 's  a 
good  joke,  isn't  it?" 

The  perspiration  broke  out  on  Karl's  forehead. 
"  You  would  n't  do  a  mean  thing  like  that,  Billy, 
would  you?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  replied  his  brother,  molli- 
fied. He  liked  to  be  called  "  Billy,"  but  could  rarely 
induce  Karl  to  use  the  nickname. 

"  Promise  you  won't." 

"Why  should  I?" 

Karl  dug  at  a  loose  brick  in  the  sidewalk  with  his 
toe,  and  his  face  slowly  turned  red. 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  Billy,  exasperatingly,  "  Neil 
would  tell  Margaretha,  and  then  she  would 
have  it  on  you."  He  laughed.  "  Neil  likes  her, 
too." 

"  That  is  why,"  confessed  Karl,  desperately. 
"You  won't  tell?" 

"  Why,  no,"  replied  Billy,  looking  at  his  brother 
curiously.  "  I  did  not  know  you  liked  her  as  much 
as  that,  Karl.  How  long?" 

"  A  long  time,"  said  Karl.  "  And  now  she  is 
going  away." 

Billy  thought,  "  Suppose  it  were  Elfrieda  who  was 
32 


SUNSHINE    AND    SHADOW 

going  away!''     Then  he  said,  "All  right,  I  will 
never  tell  anybody." 

Karl  carried  the  tin-types  home,  found  Marga- 
retha  on  her  front  porch,  and  the  exchange  of 
keepsakes  was  made. 

Billy  went  off  with  Neil  and  played  baseball  until 
dinner  time.  He  was  in  the  back  yard  when  Mar- 
garetha  came  by  her  kitchen  window.  She  held  up 
something  proudly. 

"  See  what  I  have,"  said  Margaretha.  ' 

"  Oh,  that 's  nothing." 

"  You  are  jealous,"  answered  Margaretha,  com- 
ing to  the  fence,  and  sticking  out  her  tongue  at 
him. 

"Jealous?" 

She  showed  him  the  picture.  "  Yes,  you  are  jeal- 
ous," she  said  tauntingly.  "  Karl  is  better  looking 
than  you  are,  that 's  why." 

"  Elfrieda  is  better  looking  than  you  are,"  re- 
torted Billy  chivalrously. 

"  She  is  not." 

"  She  is  so." 

"  I  am  glad  I  am  going  away,"  said  Margaretha. 

"  So  am  I  —  .No,  I  am  not,  Margaretha,"  he 
added  hastily.  "  I  am  sorry." 

"Really?"     She  softened  toward  him. 

"  I  am,  that  is  true,  Margaretha." 
33 


MY   COUNTRY 

"As  sorry  as  if  —  as  if  Elfrieda  were  going 
away?" 

"  No,"  he  replied  slowly,  "  not  as  sorry  as  that. 
Nothing  could  make  me  as  sorry  as  that,  I  think." 

Mrs.  Sigbert  came  to  the  dining  room  window, 
her  swarthy  face  almost  white,  and  fear  in  her  eyes. 

"  Wilhelm!  "  she  screamed,  "  come  quickly!  " 

He  ran  into  the  house,  his  legs,  for  some  strange 
reason,  shaking  beneath  him.  He  had  never  heard 
that  note  in  her  voice  before. 

"  What  is  it,  Aunt  Lottie  ?  " 

"Your  father!" 

"What!" 

"  I  do  not  know !  Ach  Himmel!  He  is  in  there," 
and  she  pointed  to  the  folding  door.  "  Greta  has 
gone  for  the  doctor." 

"  Doctor !  "  Billy  began  trembling,  why,  he  did 
not  know.  He  went  into  the  drawing  room.  Mr. 
Hartmann  was  sitting  in  a  chair,  and  Billy  had  never 
seen  in  any  one's  face  the  expression  that  he  now 
saw  in  his  father's. 

"  Father!  "  he  cried,  and  stood  staring  at  him  in 
terror. 

Mr.  Hartmann  tried  to  speak,  and  could  not.  He 
had  taken  from  his  pocket  a  little  black  leather  case, 
which  he  held  in  his  hand.  Billy,  seeing  what  was 
in  his  eyes,  took  it.  His  father  attempted  again  to 

34 


SUNSHINE    AND    SHADOW 

say  something.  His  head  fell  forward,  and  he 
slipped  down  in  the  chair  as  Greta  and  the  doctor 
came  into  the  room. 

"  What  is  it,  what  is  it  ?  "  cried  Billy,  in  an  agony 
of  fear. 

The  doctor  shook  his  head. 

"  I  have  come  too  late,"  he  said. 


35 


CHAPTER    V 

THE    IDOL    ON    THE    ALTAR 

The  death  of  Mr.  Hartmann  had  little  effect,  ap- 
parently, upon  the  well-ordered  life  of  the  Sigbert 
family,  but  its  psychological  influence  was  tremen- 
dous. It  brought  Mrs.  Sigbert  to  a  decision  to  re- 
turn to  Germany  as  soon  as  the  business  could  be 
disposed  of  and  the  girls  persuaded  to  agree  to  the 
plan.  But  objections  constantly  arose  as  time 
went  on. 

"  Now  that  my  brother  is  no  longer  with  us,"  she 
said  one  day,  "  there  is  less  reason  than  ever  for  our 
remaining  here.  Frieda  will  soon  be  through  the 
high  school,  and  she  can  finish  her  education  in  Ber- 
lin. That  is  where  I  have  always  wanted  to  live." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  Helena  answered  doubtfully. 
She  was  in  the  normal  school,  and  looked  forward 
with  eagerness  to  the  time  when  she  would  have  an 
independent  income  from  teaching. 

"  You  can  teach  as  well  in  Germany,"  reminded 
her  mother.  "  I  no  longer  wish  to  remain.  I  have 
few  friends  here." 

36 


THE    IDOL    ON    THE    ALTAR 

"  We  have  no  friends  in  Germany,"  said  Helena. 
"  My  friends  are  all  here,  now." 

"  Charlotte  has  friends  in  Berlin,  and  in  Munich, 
too." 

"  Still,  they  are  not  mine." 

"  But  you  can  make  friends,  among  your  own 
people." 

"  These  are  our  own  people,"  interjected  Elfrieda. 
"  Why  should  we  go  back  to  Germany,  among 
strangers." 

"  It  is  different  with  you,"  replied  her  mother. 
"  You  were  born  here,  in  America,  and  you  have 
known  only  the  friends  you  have  made  here,  but  it 
is  not  so  with  the  rest  of  us.  We  came  from  Ger- 
many, we  are  Germans." 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  said  Helena  slowly.  "  I  used 
to  think  about  Germany,  but  now  —  I  do  not  know. 
Sometimes  I  feel  almost  as  Elfrieda  does." 

"  If  I  do  not  take  them  back  soon,"  thought 
Mrs.  Sigbert,  "  they  will  not  want  to  go  at  all." 

"  Margaretha  Schoenleber  is  terribly  homesick," 
said  Elfrieda.  "  Her  letters  are  full  of  tears." 

"  She  was  anxious  to  live  in  Germany,"  cried 
her  mother,  "  she  was  always  talking  about  it,  and 
saying  how  much  better  Germany  was  than  the 
United  States.  The  Schoenlebers  always  talked 
that  way.  I  used  to  love  to  listen  to  them." 

37 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Margaretha  does  not  think  so  now,"  insisted 
Elfrieda. 

"  She  will  get  over  it,"  Mrs.  Sigbert  said,  shaking 
her  head  sagely.  "  In  a  little  while  she  will  be  as 
good  a  German  as  though  she  had  been  born  there. 
Think  how  splendid  it  would  be  for  us  if  we  should 
go.  Charlotte  could  increase  her  income  there,  for 
the  field  is  larger,  and  Madame  Ruhlmann  has  asked 
her  again  to  become  her  accompanist.  It  would  be 
a  fine  thing  for  all  of  us  for  her  to  be  associated 
with  such  a  great  opera  singer." 

"  I  don't  want  to  go,"  said  Elfrieda,  who  was 
in  one  of  her  sulky  moods.  "  Uncle  Albert  always 
said  there  was  a  better  chance  for  everybody,  in 
America." 

"  In  business,  yes,"  replied  her  mother,  hope- 
lessly; "  in  art,  no." 

"  Anyhow,  I  don't  want  to  go." 

"  Always  she  has  said  she  wanted  to  be  a  dancer, 
though  how  she  can  be  a  dancer  without  practising 
I  cannot  see,  and  now,  when  there  is  a  chance  to 
go  to  Germany,  where  all  the  singers  and  dancers 
are,  she  complains,  and  drives  me  crazy  with  her 
whims.  Elfrieda!  She  is  schrccklich! " 

"  Charlotte  would  teach,  and  Greta  would  have 
all  the  money  for  music  and  things  spent  on  her, 
and  you  would  make  a  school  teacher  of  me.  I  do 

38 


THE    IDOL    ON    THE    ALTAR 

not  want  to  teach  school,"  said  Elfrieda,  "  but  if  I 
must,  I  shall  teach  in  this  country,  and  make  money 
of  my  own,  and  maybe  some  day  I  shall  be  able  to 
go  on  the  stage,  and  do  something  in  the  world." 

Charlotte  came  in,  a  letter  in  her  hand,  her  eyes 
shining  with  such  exaltation  that  her  plain  face 
was  almost  handsome.  She  laid  her  umbrella  upon 
the  table,  and  exclaimed  dramatically: 

"  What  do  you  think?    Ruhlmann  is  coming!  " 

The  family  was  thrown  into  confusion.  The 
great  German  prima  donna  was  the  deity  of  the 
Sigbert  family.  They  worshipped  her,  not  merely 
because  Charlotte  knew  her.  They  adored  her  as 
an  artist. 

"  Coming  to  the  United  States  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Sigbert.  "  There  is  no  opera  now." 

"  Here  to  this  city,  to  this  house,"  replied  Char- 
lotte. "  On  her  way  back  from  Australia  she  will 
stop  here." 

"  She  will  hear  Greta  sing,  and  we  shall  know," 
said  Mrs.  Sigbert  reverently. 

"  That  is  why  she  is  coming,"  replied  Charlotte. 
"  It  was  a  great  favor,  I  hardly  dared  to  ask  it, 
but  she  consented,  and  she  will  be  here  soon.  I 
would  not  tell  you  until  it  was  settled.  Now  we 
shall  know." 

Greta  Sigbert  was  the  hope  and  pride  of  the 
39 


MY   COUNTRY 

family.  She  had  been  studying  vocal  music  for 
several  years,  and  had  a  fine  contralto  voice  that 
had  been  well  trained  under  the  best  teachers.  Mrs. 
Sigbert  had  selected  them  herself,  for  she  was  a 
musical  critic  of  ability.  She  had  inspired  the  whole 
family  with  her  restless  ambition,  drove  them  con- 
tinually to  their  studies,  and  kept  the  piano  going 
from  morning  until  night,  so  that  one  of  the  girls 
never  left  the  bench  but  another  was  waiting  to 
take  her  place.  Greta  was  acknowledged  to  be  the 
most  promising. 

She  not  only  sang  well,  but  was  gifted  with  fine 
musical  sense  and  judgment.  Small  and  delicate, 
but  tireless,  the  family  for  years  had  built  upon  her 
their  hopes  for  fame  and  wealth. 

Naturally,  there  was  intense  excitement  as  the 
date  of  Madame  Ruhlmann's  visit  drew  near,  and 
by  the  time  the  day  actually  arrived  the  entire  fam- 
ily was  in  a  state  bordering  on  hysteria. 

She  came,  in  a  carriage,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
wrapped  in  wonderful  sables.  Still  a  beautiful 
woman,  with  the  rounded  throat  of  a  singer,  and 
regular,  almost  classical  features,  the  delicate  lines 
of  her  face  showed  intellect  and  character.  Her 
blonde  hair  was  beginning  to  be  streaked  with  gray, 
but  this,  to  the  casual  glance,  seemed  only  to  make  it 
of  a  lighter  shade. 

40 


THE    IDOL    ON    THE    ALTAR 

Mrs.  Sigbert  had  prepared  an  elaborate  Kaffec- 
kranschcn,  but  to  her  great  disappointment  Madame 
refused  everything,  and  when  pressed  to  eat,  finally 
admitted  that  she  lived  almost  entirely  on  oatmeal, 
a  confession  that  would  have  lost  the  respect  of  Mrs. 
Sigbert  for  anybody  else. 

She  had  only  a  short  time  to  stay,  and  was  ready 
to  hear  Greta  sing. 

Greta  sang.  She  was  tired  and  nervous,  and  did 
not  do  as  well  as  when  she  practised  alone.  Every- 
one was  chagrined,  and  Charlotte  was  on  the  verge 
of  tears.  She  sang  again,  ""  Dich,  theure  Halle." 
Disappointment  was  on  every  face. 

Madame  thought  she  had  a  good  voice,  and  musi- 
cal instinct.  It  was  plain  that  she  was  not  impressed. 
Greta,  crushed,  left  the  piano. 

"  You  have  a  talented  family,  Mrs.  Sigbert," 
said  Madame  Ruhlmann.  "  I  hope  to  have  Char- 
lotte with  me." 

Mrs.  Sigbert  was  inarticulate.  "  Greta  will  be  a 
failure,"  she  thought;  "  we  shall  not  go  back  home, 
now." 

"  Are  all  the  girls  musical?  "  asked  Madame. 

"  Helena  does  not  play  much,"  replied  Mrs. 
Sigbert,  finding  her  voice  at  last.  "  She  is  study- 
ing to  be  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools.  My 
youngest  daughter,  Elfrieda,  plays  and  sings,  too, 


MY   COUNTRY 

but  she  is  such  a  poor  student  that  she  does  nothing 
well." 

"  I  would  rather  hear  her  sing  than  anybody  in 
all  the  world,"  said  Billy,  and  did  not  know  what 
those  few  words  would  cost  him  in  the  years  to 
come. 

"Really!"  Ruhlmann's  eyes  were  dancing. 
"  Sing  for  me,  dear." 

Elfrieda  came  forward  hesitatingly.  "  I  play  be- 
cause mother  makes  me,"  she  said ;  "  I  sing  because 
I  like  to  sing." 

Ruhlmann  turned  to  look  at  her  as  she  walked 
into  the  light.  "  Ah !  "  she  said. 

"What  shall  I  sing?" 

"  Anything." 

Elfrieda  sang: 

How  can  I  leave  thee,  while  I  do  love  thee  so? 
Thou  art  my  all  in  all,  truly  my  own! 
Thou  hast  this  soul  of  mine  so  firmly  lock'd  in  thine. 
That  my  heart  e'er  will  be  thine,  love,  alone. 

"  Not  in  English !  "  cried  poor  Mrs.  Sigbert, 
wringing  her  hands.  "  What  will  Madame  Ruhl- 
mann think  of  you?  " 

"  Ah !  "  said  Ruhlmann.  "  Never  mind.  Sing  to 
me  again,  child." 

She  sang  Coenen's  "Das  Fruhlingslied,"  and 
Ruhlmann  asked  for  more,  and  then  she  sang,  in 

42 


THE    IDOL    ON    THE    ALTAR 

English,  a  gay  little  ballad  of  the  streets,  Mrs.  Sig- 
bert's  hands  raised  meanwhile,  in  horror  at  the 
sacrilege.  But  Frieda  did  not  care,  but  went  on,  as 
if  she  had  been  singing  for  Billy,  and  sang  as  the 
Sigberts  had  never  heard  her  sing  before. 

As  she  finished,  and  left  the  piano,  Ruhlmann 
rushed  to  her,  and  threw  her  arms  around  her  neck, 
and  kissed  her  on  both  cheeks. 

"  I  make  no  mistake,  I  am  sure,"  she  said  dra- 
matically, "  when  I  say  that  I  salute  one  of  the 
greatest  future  singers." 

Mrs.  Sigbert  sank  back  in  her  chair,  incapable  of 
moving. 

"  I  must  tell  you,"  Ruhlmann  went  on,  "  it  is  only 
fair  for  me  to  say,  that  in  my  judgment  Greta  can 
never  win  success  on  the  stage.  She  sings  with  in- 
telligence and  fine  musical  appreciation,  but  she  is 
not  big  enough,  not  colorful  enough,  for  opera. 
Moreover,  she  is  delicate,  she  could  never  undergo 
the  training.  And  she  lacks  the  temperamental 
qualities.  Let  her  keep  to  church  work,  and  teach- 
ing, for  that  is  better  than  to  give  up  everything 
for  the  unattainable  ideal.  But  this  girl  —  "  She 
took  Elfrieda  by  the  hand.  "  Here  is  the  voice  I 
have  long  sought.  She  is  strong,  and  when  she  is 
a  woman  she  will  have  the  figure  for  heroic  roles. 
She  has  the  strength  to  live  through  all  the  body- 

43 


MY   COUNTRY 

breaking,  sometimes  heart-breaking,  work  that  she 
will  have  to  do  —  and  she  is  beautiful." 

"  Frieda,  your  eyes  are  purple  now !  "  cried  Billy, 
forgetting  where  he  was. 

"  It  is  the  temperament,"  smiled  Ruhlmann. 
"  She  is  brimming  over  with  it,  she  has  enough  to 
divide  with  all  the  family.  Child,"  she  added,  "  I 
am  more  than  proud  to  point  a  brilliant  future  for 
so  talented  a  girl." 

Greta,  in  tears,  had  slipped  away,  and  none  had 
seen  her  go.  A  new  idol  was  on  the  family  altar. 
Mrs.  Sigbert  looked  at  Elfrieda  as  if  she  had  found 
a  daughter  whom  she  had  never  known  before. 


44 


CHAPTER   VI 


"  THEN    I  ?LL    COME   BACK   TO    YOU 


Elfrieda  was  in  the  grape-arbor,  at  the  end  of  the 
yard,  reading  a  book  in  the  hammock  that  was 
swung  between  two  posts.  Billy  found  her  there. 

"  Are  you  glad  that  we  are  going  back  to  Ger- 
many? "  she  asked. 

He  pulled  a  leaf  to  pieces,  not  daring  to  look  at 
her.  "  I  am  not  going,"  he  said  at  length. 

"Not  going?" 

"  I  shall  remain  here." 

"  You  would  be  lonesome,  you  could  not  stand  it*" 

"  One  must  learn  to  stand  things  when  one  is  a 
man." 

"Poof!    You  are  a  boy." 

"I  —  I  —  you  do  not  know  how  I  feel,  some- 
times, Elfrieda." 

He  turned,  and  looked  at  her,  and  his  body  began 
to  tremble.  She  glanced  away,  quickly,  and  the 
blood  tinted  her  cheeks. 

"What  could  you  do  here?"  she  asked,  banter 
in  her  voice. 

45 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  I  do  not  know.  I  shall  have  my  share  in  the 
property,  and  then,  when  I  have  finished  school,  I 
can  go  into  business  if  I  have  to,  but  I  would  rather 
do  something  else." 

"What  could  you  do?" 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"  That  is  because  you  are  not  a  man,"  she  said 
lightly.  "  Men  know  what  they  want  to  do." 

"  You  are  a  woman,  yet  you  did  not  know  what 
you  wanted  do  to  until  Ruhlmann  told  you  that  you 
could  be  a  singer.  I  wish  she  had  never  come. 
Before,  you  did  not  know  what  you  wanted  to  do 
—  now,  you  must  be  a  singer." 

"  I  always  knew,"  said  Frieda,  slowly,  "  only  I 
did  not  know  how  to  express  myself." 

"  You  used  to  say  you  would  be  a  dancer,"  he 
reminded  her. 

"  It  is  the  same  thing.  I  always  wanted  to  do 
something  in  the  world." 

"  That  is  how  I  feel.  I  shall  do  it,  too  —  for 
you,  Elfrieda." 

"For  me?" 

"I  —  I  love  you,  Frieda." 

She  could  not  look  at  him  now. 

"  They  have  no  right  to  take  you  back  to 
Germany." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  for  the  best." 
46 


"THEN    I'LL    COME    BACK    TO    YOU" 

"  You  did  not  talk  that  way  before.  You  always 
said  you  did  not  want  to  go." 

"  I  see  things  differently,  now." 

"  And  so  do  I.  If  you  go  away  I  shall  not  have 
you,  you  will  forget  me." 

"  No,  I  shall  not." 

"  Why  should  we  go  to  Germany,  Elfrieda?  We 
are  Americans,  you  and  I.  We  would  not  be  happy 
there,  and  I  —  I  want  to  make  you  happy." 

"  I  must  go  back,"  she  said,  "  you  do  not  under- 
stand, Billy.  Now,  I  must" 

"  It  is  Ruhlmann,"  he  cried  passionately,  "  she 
has  spoiled  everything.  You  will  try  to  be  a  great 
singer,  and  waste  your  life,  and  I  shall  have  to  go 
on  without  you,  and  it  will  break  my  heart." 

"  Oh ! "  said  Elfrieda,  and  clasped  her  hands 
tightly. 

"It  is  true,  I  cannot  live  without  you,  Frieda. 
I  do  not  want  to  live  without  you.  All  I  want  in 
the  world  is  you.  It  is  all  I  have  ever  wanted,  ever 
since  I  saw  you  first.  You  shan't  go  back  to 
Germany." 

"  I  must  go  back,  I  cannot  study  here,  and  now 
that  my  great  opportunity  has  come  —  something 
is  urging  me  on  that  is  stronger  than  myself,  some- 
thing that  I  cannot  resist." 

"  I  know,"  he  said  dully,  "  I  feel  it  too,  some- 
47 


MY    COUNTRY 

times.  It  is  urging  me  on  to  have  you,  and  I  must 
have  you,  Frieda,  I  must,  I  tell  you.  And  I  shall, 
some  day,  I  know  it,  I  feel  it.  You  are  mine,  and 
nothing  shall  take  you  from  me.  Please  don't  go 
back  to  Germany.  After  all,  it  is  only  going  back 
for  your  mother,  and  the  rest.  You  have  never 
been.  This  is  your  home,  you  were  born  here,  you 
are  an  American." 

"  It  would  be  going  back  for  you,"  she  said. 
"  You  were  not  born  here.  You  are  a  Prussian." 

"  Not  now,"  said  Billy,  "  my  father  changed  all 
that.  You  remember  what  he  said  that  night  when 
he  came  home  and  told  us  that  the  courts  had  made 
him  an  American?  He  said  that  by  the  law  I  was 
made  an  American,  too.  I  have  never  forgotten 
that.  This  is  my  country,  and  I  shall  stay  here, 
where  he  is  buried.  Your  father,  too,  is  buried 
here,  Elfrieda.  You  should  remain  with  me,  even 
if  all  the  rest  return." 

"  I  could  not  do  that." 

"  Then  I  must  stay  alone." 

"What  will  mother  say?"  asked  Frieda. 

"  I  do  not  care  what  Aunt  Lottie  says,"  replied 
Billy,  closing  his  lips  very  tightly.  "  I  have  thought 
it  all  out.  Whatever  happens,  whatever  they  may 
say  or  do,  I  shall  not  go  back  to  Germany.  There 
was  something  my  father  left  behind  him  there  that 

48 


•THEN    I'LL    COME    BACK    TO    YOU" 

broke  his  heart,  something  he  would  never  tell  me, 
something  I  have  never  dared  to  ask  about.  I  won't 
go  back,  I  can't  go  back." 

"Not  even  if  I  go?" 

"If  you  should  go  it  would  be  to  study  and  work 
to  be  a  singer.  You  would  have  no  room  then,  for 
me,  and  I  should  only  be  in  the  way." 

"  You  would  not  even  go  to  see  me?  " 

"  Well,  yes,  I  might  do  that.  Would  you  want 
me  to?" 

"  Yes." 

"Very  much?" 

"Y  — yes." 

"The  most  in  the  world,  more  than  anything 
else?" 

"  Yes,  Billy." 

"  Frieda!    They  are  purple  now.     For  me?" 

"  Yes,  I  —  I  guess  so." 

"  You  love  me?    Say  you  love  me,  Frieda." 

She  raised  her  eyes  to  his. 

"Frieda!" 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  smiling. 

"  I  know,"  he  whispered,  his  voice  full  of  awe. 
"  you  do  not  need  to  tell  me,  it  is  in  your  eyes.  I 
never  saw  a  light  like  that  before." 

Their  lips  met,  and  suddenly  he  was  in  the 
hammock  with  her,  and  she  was  in  his  arms,  and 

49 


MY   COUNTRY 

they  were  off,  together,  upon  a  cloud,  to  Fairy- 
land. 

The  soft  sun  filtered  down  upon  them,  the  grape 
leaves  stirred  above  them  in  the  breeze,  a  bird  flew 
in,  and  perched  upon  a  twig,  and  sat  there,  preening 
its  feathers,  undisturbed. 

"Oh,  Elfrieda!"  He  drew  her  closer  to  him.  "I 
cannot  let  you  go." 

"  Maybe  it  will  not  be  many  years." 

"Years!  I  could  not  stand  it.  You  will  come 
back,  some  day." 

"  Of  course." 

"  Do  you  promise  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes,  if  you  ask  it." 

"  I  do ;  I  want  you  to  come  back  to  me.  I  do  not 
want  you  to  go  at  all." 

"  Life  is  very  sad,"  said  Elfrieda. 

"  You  do  not  love  me,  or  you  would  not  leave 
me." 

"  I  love  you  more  because  I  am  going,  because  I 
must  go,  because  something  stronger  than  myself  is 
forcing  me  to  go." 

"  Oh,"  he  said,  much  relieved,  "  I  will  take  care 
of  Aunt  Lottie." 

"  I  mean  something  within  myself." 

"Something  —  ?" 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  what  it  is,  I  hardly  know." 
50 


"THEN    I'LL    COME    BACK    TO    YOU" 

"  It  is  Ruhlmann!  She  has  ruined  my  whole  life. 
I  shall  never  be  happy  again." 

"  Some  day  I  shall  come  back  to  you." 

"Some  day?" 

"  When  I  have  done  what  I  am  setting  out  to 
do." 

"  Maybe  I  will  be  old,  then." 

"  I  shall  love  you  just  the  same." 

"  Frieda,  you  do  not  know  what  you  have  done 
to  me." 

"  I  do,  dear,  for  I  have  done  it  to  myself.  I  must 
go  on  now,  to  the  end." 

"Without  me?" 

"  Without  you  —  now." 

They  walked  into  the  house,  and  Billy,  with  a 
heavy  heart,  watched  the  packing  that  was  going  on. 

The  Sigberts  had  at  last  definitely  decided  to  re- 
turn to  Germany,  and  Mrs.  Sigbert  was  happy. 

For  many  days  after  Ruhlmann's  visit  nothing 
had  been  talked  of  in  the  family  but  Elfrieda's  voice, 
and  the  prospects  the  prima  donna  had  held  out  to 
them.  Mrs.  Sigbert  was  in  a  state  of  ecstasy,  tem- 
pered with  frugality.  She  had  been  thrilled  by 
Ruhlmann's  glowing  words,  and  dimly  saw  a  way, 
through  her  youngest  daughter,  to  the  attainment 
of  the  great  dream  of  her  life.  But  she  was  entirely 
too  sensible  and  prudent  to  rush  blindly  into  an 


MY   COUNTRY 

enterprise  that  might  turn  out  disastrously.  She 
feared  that  she  could  not  trust  Elfrieda,  who,  she 
thought,  lacked  the  seriousness  and  application  of 
Greta. 

While  she  was  in  the  midst  of  these  perplexities  a 
letter  arrived  from  Berlin  that  settled  all  doubts, 
cleared  away  all  obstacles,  and  changed  the  whole 
current  of  the  lives  of  all  of  them. 

Madame  Ruhlmann  wrote  that  she  had  been 
thinking  constantly  of  Efrieda's  voice,  that  she  had 
been  haunted  by  its  beauty  and  unusual  quality.  It 
was  the  voice  that  she  longed  to  train.  Properly 
guided,  Elfrieda  should  make  the  greatest  Wag- 
nerian  singer  of  the  future.  After  careful  con- 
sideration she  was  prepared  to  make  the  following 
offer.  She  would  take  Elfrieda  into  her  home  as  a 
member  of  her  household,  and  give  her  all  instruc- 
tion, free  of  charge.  The  family  would  furnish  her 
clothes  and  spending  money.  She  was  also  prepared 
to  increase  the  offer  she  had  made  to  Charlotte  to 
become  her  accompanist.  On  the  completion  of  El- 
frieda's  studies  she  would  expect  no  repayment  of 
any  kind.  The  only  condition  she  would  make  was 
that  once  started  Elfrieda  would  see  it  through  to 
the  end.  Madame  would  not  care  to  embark  upon 
so  great  an  undertaking  without  this  assurance. 

Mrs.  Sigbert  felt  that  her  prayers  had  been  an- 
52 


'THEN    I'LL    COME    BACK   TO    YOU" 

swered.  The  question  that  had  long  agitated  the 
family  had  been  taken  from  their  hands  by  Provi- 
dence, and  solved.  The  decision  was  made  instantly. 
They  would  return  to  Germany. 

They  did  not,  at  first,  take  seriously  Billy's  deter- 
mination to  remain  behind.  They  thought  it  would 
be  shaken,  but  it  increased.  His  father's  estate  had 
been  settled,  and  there  was  a  sum  of  money  in  trust 
for  each  of  the  boys,  not  a  large  one,  but  a  substan- 
tial one.  Financially,  there  was  no  reason  why 
Billy  should  not  remain  in  America,  to  complete  his 
education,  and  when  Mr.  Bruch,  the  guide  and 
counsellor  for  many  years,  unexpectedly  took  his 
part,  the  family  capitulated.  Karl  had  decided  to 
go  back  to  Germany,  and  Mr.  Bruch,  for  some 
reason,  approved  of  this.  And  so  everything  was 
settled. 

Charlotte  gave  her  final  lessons,  and  said  good 
bye  to  all  her  pupils.  Karl  and  the  girls  left  school, 
and  all  were  busy  with  the  many  affairs  that  had  to 
be  attended  to  before  they  could  go.  But  Billy  re- 
mained at  his  studies  until  the  day  of  departure  was 
at  hand. 

Finally  but  one  more  day  remained  to  them. 
Much  of  the  furniture  had  been  sold.  The  house 
was  bare,  empty,  forlorn.  The  last  few  meals  were 
eaten  in  the  kitchen,  and  here  Billy,  on  the  after- 

53 


MY   COUNTRY 

noon  of  the  last  day,  but  one,  burst  in  upon  them, 
breathlessly,  face  glowing,  eyes  shining. 

"What  is  it?"  cried  Mrs.  Sigbert.  Charlotte 
laid  down  her  knife  and  fork.  The  girls  looked  at 
him  wonderingly. 

"  I  am  going  to  Annapolis." 

"What!" 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Billy,  "  I  have  been  appointed 
to  the  Naval  Academy." 

"  You  will  be  a  sailor!  "  cried  poor  Mrs.  Sigbert. 
"  What  would  your  father  say  ?  " 

"  He  would  be  proud,"  replied  Billy.  "  He  would 
be  glad  to  have  me  an  officer  in  the  United  States 
Navy." 

"An  officer?"  said  Mrs.  Sigbert.  "That  is 
better." 

"  Of  course." 

"  It  is  splendid,"  said  Elfrieda,  looking  at  him 
with  admiration. 

"  It  is  what  I  have  always  longed  to  be,"  said 
Billy. 

"Poof!  You  have  never  mentioned  it  before," 
said  Elfrieda. 

"  Neither  did  you  ever  mention  being  a  singer 
until  Ruhlmann  came,"  retorted  Billy. 

"  I  always  said  I  would  go  on  the  stage,"  an- 
swered Elfrieda. 

54 


'THEN    I'LL    COME    BACK    TO    YOU" 

"  As  a  dancer,  yes." 

"  It  is  the  same  thing." 

"  Yes,"  Billy  replied,  "  I  see  it  now.  I  am  that 
way  myself.  I  hardly  knew  what  I  was  longing  to 
do  until  this  came  to  me,  and  then  I  saw  in  a  mo- 
ment that  this  was  what  I  had  been  dreaming  of. 
I  understand  you  now,  Elfrieda." 

Elfrieda  flashed  at  him  a  look  full  of  significance. 
She  thought :  "  He  will  go  everywhere,  and  meet 
beautiful  women,  but  he  will  love  me  always." 

"  How  did  it  happen?  "  asked  Charlotte. 

"  At  school  today.  We  marched  to  the  hall  for 
the  morning  exercises,  and  Mr.  Black,  the  principal, 
said  he  had  an  announcement  to  make.  One  of  the 
boys  in  the  fourth  class  had  won  an  appointment 
to  the  Naval  Academy.  He  had  been  selected  for 
standing  in  his  studies  and  other  qualifications. 
And  then  he  introduced  Congressman  Marshfield." 

"  I  never  heard  of  him,"  said  Mrs.  Sigbert, 
suspiciously. 

"  He  is  a  great  man,"  said  Billy,  enthusiastically. 
"  He  represents  this  district  in  Congress,  at  Wash- 
ington. He  made  a  speech,  a  corker,  all  about 
Bunker  Hill,  and  Valley  Forge,  and  Yorktown,  and 
Manila  Bay,  oh,  he  did  n't  forget  anything.  He 
talked  about  an  hour.  And  then  he  said  he  was 
going  to  send  one  of  the  boys  to  Annapolis,  and 

55 


MY    COUNTRY 

just  when  I  was  wondering  if  it  would  be  Neil 
Lawson  I  saw  that  everybody  was  looking  at 
me,  so  then  they  called  my  name  again,  and  I 
stood  up,  feeling  sort  of  queer,  you  know,  and 
they  made  me  go  up  on  the  platform  and  make  a 
speech." 

"  Make  a  speech !  "  cried  Elf  rieda. 

"  Oh,  I  did  n't  make  much  of  a  speech,"  admitted 
Billy.  "  Everybody  clapped,  so  I  said  I  would  al- 
ways do  my  duty  and  never  make  any  of  my  friends 
ashamed  of  me,  and  then  I  started  to  walk  off. 
Mr.  Marshfield  called  to  me  to  know  if  I  would 
accept  the  appointment." 

"What  did  you  say?"  asked  Mrs.  Sigbert. 

"  Well,"  said  Billy,  "  I  was  sort  of  flustered,  and 
I  just  said,  *  You  bet  your  life,'  and  everybody 
laughed.  And  Mr.  Marshfield  shook  hands  with 
me,  and  patted  me  on  the  back,  and  said  I  was  one 
of  his  boys  and  that  he  would  keep  his  eye  on  me, 
and  for  me  to  let  him  know  if  I  ever  wanted  any- 
thing. He  's  a  great  man,  Mr.  Marshfield  is.  You 
should  have  seen  how  glad  he  was  to  meet  me. 
And  he  has  the  brightest  twinkle  in  his  eye  I  ever 
saw." 

"  Well,  well ! "  said  Mrs.  Sigbert,  vigorously 
polishing  one  of  the  old  pans,  that  was  going  to  be 
left  behind,  "and  everybody  was  there?" 

56 


'THEN    I'LL   COME    BACK    TO    YOU" 

"All  the  school,  and  Mr.  Bruch  was  on  the 
platform." 

"Adolph  Bruch?" 

"  Yes.  He  was  with  Mr.  Marshfield,  and  they 
went  away  together." 

"  I  would  not  have  accepted  it,"  said  Karl, 
enviously. 

"  You  would  so." 

"  I  would  not." 

"  That 's  because  you  could  n't  get  it." 

"  Here,  now,"  cried  Karl,  "  you  shan't  say  that. 
It  is  because  I  am  going  back  to  Germany." 

;<  You  've  simply  got  to  see  Margaretha,  have  n't 
you,  Karl?"  said  Billy,  tauntingly. 

Karl  made  a  rush  for  him. 

'  Tin-types !  "  said  Billy.  Karl  stopped,  and  his 
face  turned  red. 

"  Confound  you,  Wilhelm." 

"  I  did  n't  mean  it,  Karl.  I  don't  blame  you." 
He  thought,  "  Karl  will  see  Margaretha,  but  I  shall 
not  see  Elfrieda  again  for  a  long  time,  perhaps  I 
shall  never  see  her  again."  He  looked  at  her,  and 
saw  that  she  was  thinking  the  same  thing.  He  ran 
from  the  room,  choking  back  the  tears. 

The  family  left  the  next  morning  on  the  long 
journey  to  Berlin,  and  because  he  was  older,  then, 
than  when  his  father  had  died,  it  was  the  saddest 

57 


MY   COUNTRY 

day  of  his  life.  Elfrieda  cried  when  he  kissed  her 
good  bye,  on  the  platform  of  the  train  that  took 
them  all  away,  and  he  saw  that  her  eyes  were  no 
longer  purple,  nor  even  violet,  but  a  drab,  colorless 
gray. 

He  went  to  Neil  Lawson's  house,  where  it  had 
been  arranged  that  he  should  stay  for  a  few  days, 
and  then  took  a  train  himself,  one  morning,  a  train 
that  carried  him  to  Annapolis,  and  into  a  new  life. 

For  four  years,  then,  every  week,  a  letter  went 
to  Berlin,  and  now  and  then  one  came  to  him  from 
her.  Elfrieda  was  on  the  thorny,  rocky  road  that 
leads  to  fame,  and  she  was  footsore  and  weary. 
She  told  him  little  about  herself,  except  that  her 
star  was  beckoning  her  on,  and  that  the  end  was 
not  in  sight.  He  kept  her  letters,  every  one,  and 
sometimes  the  gaps  between  them  would  be  months 
in  length.  On  his  midshipman  cruise  they  touched 
at  Kiel,  where  Karl  was  in  the  Naval  School,  and 
they  went  up  together  to  Berlin. 

The  Sigberts  lived  in  the  Charlottenburg  quarter, 
on  the  edge  of  the  Tier  gar  ten,  in  one  of  the  city's 
newest  apartment  houses,  a  six-story,  twin  building, 
with  an  arching  entrance  leading  into  a  little  court- 
yard. They  had  a  seven-room  flat  on  the  third  etage. 
They  were  very  comfortable,  and  happy  with  their 

58 


"THEN    I'LL   COME   BACK    TO    YOU" 

piano,  their  music,  and  their  cat.  Mrs.  Sigbert  was 
contented,  serene,  and  hopeful.  The  girls  had  been 
homesick  at  first,  but  that  was  wearing  off,  now,  and 
while  they  did  not  like  Germany  as  well  as  they  had 
thought  they  would  while  they  were  in  America, 
still,  it  was  good  enough.  After  all,  their  work  was 
everything. 

He  had  but  one  day,  and  spent  it  with  Elfrieda. 
They  walked  under  the  trees  in  the  Tiergarten,  had 
midday  breakfast  at  the  Tiergarten  restaurant,  and 
spent  the  afternoon  on  a  bench,  under  the  lindens. 
And  then  he  went  back  to  his  ship.  Elfrieda  loved 
him,  but  her  music  came  first.  The  family  had  built 
their  hopes  on  her,  and  she  had  promised  Ruhlmann 
to  stay  until  the  end.  She  must  go  on  —  without 
him.  Billy  understood,  and  he  would  try  to  bear  it, 
like  a  man.  The  sea  called  to  him,  and  he  answered, 
and  the  years  slipped  by. 


59 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE    CALL   ACROSS    THE   SEA 

Mrs.  Winters  sat  on  the  gallery  of  the  bachelors' 
mess  of  the  Hong  Kong-Shanghai  Bank,  at  Hong 
Kong,  the  centre  of  an  admiring  group.  It  was  the 
tiffin  hour. 

Off  across  the  rooftops  of  the  business  section  the 
slanting  sun  beat  down  upon  the  Chinese  quarter 
of  the  green  and  golden  town. 

In  the  harbor,  choked  with  shipping,  half  a  dozen 
warships  rode  at  their  buoys,  heavy,  immovable, 
dressed  in  battle  gray.  In-shore  two  old  French 
gunboats  tugged  at  their  hawsers.  Beyond  them  lay 
a  British  bulldog,  business-like,  on  guard.  There 
was  a  Japanese  cruiser  a  little  farther  out,  and  at  the 
head  of  the  line,  nearest  Ly-Mun  Pass,  a  great  slate- 
colored  monster,  broadside  on.  From  the  flagstaff 
at  her  stern  floated  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

Mrs.  Winters  sipped  her  tea,  and  basked  in  the 
adoration  of  the  crowd  of  white-clad  young  fellows 
gathered  about  her  table. 

Nobody  knew  how  old  Corrie  Winters  was.  She 
60 


THE    CALL    ACROSS    THE    SEA 

had  systematically  deceived  herself  about  her  age 
for  so  many  years  that  she  had  lost  the  count  of 
her  own  birthdays.  Her  last  had  happened  ten 
years  before,  an  accident  thereafter  carefully 
guarded  against.  A  man  would  have  said  she  was 
somewhere  between  twenty-three  and  thirty;  a 
woman,  who  watches  another  woman's  throat  more 
closely  than  she  does  her  eyes,  might  have  been  a 
little  more  exact,  and  raised  the  maximum  five,  or 
even  ten  years. 

The  men  she  held  under  the  spell  of  her  feminine 
charms,  and  she  carried  a  full  and  complete  line  of 
them,  were  hardly  more  than  boys.  Raleigh  was  the 
Executive  Officer  of  the  American  warship  lying  at 
anchor  beneath  the  town.  The  others  were  Lieu- 
tenant-Commanders, Lieutenants,  and  infant  En- 
signs. 

Mrs.  Winters  adored  men,  but  she  liked  them  best 
when  they  were  of  the  romantic  age  and  amenable 
to  discipline.  To  be  her  admirer  was  to  be  her 
slave. 

Fresh  of  skin  as  a  girl,  groomed  like  a  racehorse, 
gowned  a  good  six  months  ahead  of  the  mode,  Mrs. 
Winters  was  a  thoroughbred.  The  white  em- 
broidered batiste  dress  she  wore  was  so  simple  in 
its  lines  that  only  an  artist  could  have  duplicated  it. 
The  mesh  bag  she  carried  was  gold.  Her  lorgnette 

61 


MY   COUNTRY 

was  jewelled.  On  her  fingers  were  a  few  beautiful 
stones,  uniquely  set. 

A  widow  for  ten  years  of  such  freedom  as  she 
had  not  known  while  she  was  married,  and  which 
was  the  breath  of  her  life,  her  source  of  livelihood 
was  as  much  a  mystery  to  her  friends  as  to  her 
enemies. 

Bob  Winters  had  been  in  the  foreign  commercial 
service  for  years,  and  had  dragged  his  wife  from 
Boma,  on  the  Congo,  to  Cairo,  on  the  Nile,  around 
the  map  and  back  again,  but  the  rolling  consul 
gathers  no  moss.  Yet  she  toiled  not,  neither  did 
she  spin. 

She  was  a  migratory  American,  having  no  more 
permanent  habitat  than  a  poker  chip,  but  rested  her 
wings  from  time  to  time  at  the  cross-roads  of  the 
far-flung  world.  One  took  her  to  the  cricket  match 
at  Shanghai  today,  and  sat  next  her  at  the  Army 
and  Navy  game  six  weeks  later.  She  would  be  the 
last  to  say  good  bye  in  Paris,  and  the  first  to  extend 
a  greeting  at  the  Waldorf.  If  one  succeeded  after 
five  years  of  effort  in  penetrating  the  Forbidden 
City  in  disguise,  and  suddenly  turned  the  corner 
of  a  remote  court  in  an  obscure  street  and  met  Mrs. 
Winters  in  Red  fern's  latest,  one  would  simply  thrust 
out  a  friendly  hand,  as  if  it  were  the  most  natural 
thing  in  the  world  for  her  to  be  in  that  particular 

62 


THE   CALL   ACROSS    THE    SEA 

place  at  that  precise  time.  One  would  receive  one 
of  her  picture  cards,  postmarked  "  Melbourne,"  in 
the  morning  mail,  and  bump  into  her  on  Pennsylva- 
nia avenue  at  four  o'clock  that  afternoon.  Her  mind 
was  a  composite  time-table  and  bridge  score. 

Mrs.  Winters  purred  like  an  over-fed  cat,  stretch- 
ing herself  delicately  in  the  sunlight.  It  was  warm, 
and  the  conversation  lagged.  They  had  talked  of 
everything,  except  the  one  thing  uppermost  in  the 
minds  of  everybody,  and  that  was,  would  the  United 
States  get  into  the  war?  After  a  long  pause  Hollis- 
ter  said: 

"  Where  's  Billy  Hartmann?  " 

There  was  an  awkward  silence. 

"  I  have  seen  very  little  of  him,"  said  Prothero, 
one  of  the  junior  officers  of  H.M.S.  Norwich. 
"  Confound  it,  Hartmann  is  pro-German.  The  dear 
old  top  has  gone  dotty  in  the  crumpet" 

His  voice  was  pitched  in  an  injured  tone.  It  was 
as  though  he  had  encountered  an  indubitable  fact 
that  his  mind  could  not  grasp. 

There  was  the  faintest  possible  movement  of  Mrs. 
Winters'  eyebrows. 

"His  people  are  German,  aren't  they?"  asked 
Hollister. 

"  I  believe  so ;  it 's  a  German  name." 

"  I  should  n't  have  cared  if  it  had  been  anybody 
63 


MY   COUNTRY 

else    but    Billy    Hartmann,"    Prothero    continued. 
"  We  have  been  like  brothers." 

Mrs.  Winters,  who  had  been  flirting  with  a  boy 
young  enough  to  have  been  her  son,  turned  to  listen. 

'  You  've  known   him   for  years,   have  n't  you, 
Proth?  "  she  queried. 

"  We  've  been  together  nearly  everywhere.  If  I 
were  ordered  to  Zanzibar  I  should  n't  any  more  than 
get  my  mudhooks  down  before  I  should  look  around 
for  Hartmann.  He  invariably  shows  up.  We  Ve 
seen  a  lot  of  service  together  on  this  station.  You 
remember  the  time  I  went  down  to  clean  out  that 
nest  of  pirates  in  Torres?  An  old  tub  of  a  gunboat 
poked  her  nose  out  of  the  dawn  one  morning,  and 
sure  enough,  it  was  Hartmann.  He  was  in  com- 
mand of  her.  It  was  n't  any  of  his  business,  but  the 
doctor  on  my  scow  was  working  overtime  —  and  I 
borrowed  a  few  men  from  Billy.  Of  course,  he 
went  along  to  see  the  fun.  The  beggars  nearly  got 
him.  Dirty  beasts,  all  sorts  of  renegades." 

"Shot  him?"  asked  Mrs.  Winters,  her  eyes 
sparkling. 

"Clean  through,"  said  Prothero.  "The  fight 
was  simply  topping.  We  patched  him  up,  and  there 
never  was  any  report  about  it.  So  you  see  how  I 
feel.  I  should  n't  care  if  he  'd  keep  his  confounded 
views  to  himself." 

64 


"  He  thinks  he  has  a  mission  to  inflict  them  on 
others,"  said  Raleigh.  "  That 's  the  German  in  him. 
We  cut  out  the  war  talk  in  our  mess  long  ago.  I 
have  n't  heard  Hartmann  say  much  lately." 

"  He  used  to  feel  pretty  strongly  about  it,"  said 
Hollister. 

"  I  can't  say  that  I  blame  him,"  said  Raleigh. 
"  His  folks  live  in  Germany,  his  brother  was  killed 
in  the  Jutland  battle,  and  you  must  admit  that 's 
tough.  He  got  a  cable  about  it  at  Manila." 

"A  cable  from  Germany?"  asked  Prothero, 
interested. 

"  From  somebody  in  the  States,  who  had  heard 
about  it,  I  think." 

"  Of  course  it 's  beastly,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing, 
hut  then  —  "  Prothero  got  up  suddenly,  and  walked 
into  the  club.  They  understood.  Prothero  had  lost 
a  brother,  one  of  the  first  hundred  thousand. 

"  Hang  it,"  said  Raleigh,  "  I  suppose  a  fellow  has 
a  right  to  be  pro-German  if  he  wants  to  be.  What 
I  can't  understand  is  why  he  should  want  to  be." 

"  He  is  the  handsomest  man  I  have  ever  known, 
but  one,"  said  Mrs.  Winters,  reminiscently,  staring 
off  across  the  harbor  with  a  dreamy  look  in  her 
green-gray  eyes.  "  In  hips  and  shoulders  I  have 
never  seen  his  superior,  and  he  has  adorable  legs. 
His  eyes  are  a  trifle  too  small  and  too  close  set." 

65 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  I  never  noticed  that,"  said  Raleigh. 

"  You  are  not  a  woman.  Is  he  really  so  pro- 
German  ?  "  She  bent  forward,  interested. 

"  One  of  the  worst  I  ever  heard,"  said  Hollister. 
"  There  was  a  time,  when  the  war  first  began,  when 
he  could  have  edited  a  German  newspaper.  You 
never  listened  to  such  arguments.  He  was  in  my 
class  at  Annapolis,  the  youngest  man  in  the  class. 
We  thought  he  had  brains,  and  I  cherished  that 
opinion  through  all  the  years  of  service  I  saw  with 
him,  and  you  do  come  to  know  a  man  on  shipboard. 
When  the  war  broke  out  —  well,  you  know  what 
these  German  apologists  are.  Discussing  a  ques- 
tion of  morality  and  decency  with  them  is  like  try- 
ing to  debate  abstract  knowledge  with  a  flea.  You 
can't  hold  them  down  to  anything.  There  is  no 
logic  in  them." 

Mrs.  Winters  looked  at  her  wrist  watch,  and 
found  that  she  must  go.  Six  eager  young  gentle- 
men looked  at  their  wrist  watches  and  made  the 
same  discovery.  They  escorted  her  to  her  hotel, 
bearing  her  parasol,  her  fan,  her  various  traps  and 
accoutrements. 

The  men  on  the  gallery  watched  her  go,  and 
sighed.  There  was  a  long  silence,  while  Raleigh 
ordered  the  drinks.  Then  said  little  Wallis,  who 
was  tongue-tied  in  the  presence  of  beautiful  women : 

66 


THE    CALL   ACROSS   THE    SEA 

"  I  don't  think  that  Billy  Hartmann  is  pro- 
German." 

"  Wallis,"  observed  Raleigh  witheringly,  "  has  a 
mind  like  a  weather  prophet.  He  finds  out  what 
everybody  thinks  the  weather  will  be,  and  then 
coppers  the  bet.  Did  you  ever  agree  with  anybody, 
about  anything,  in  your  life,  Wallie?" 

"  All  the  same,  I  don't  think  that  Billy  Hartmann 
is  pro-German,"  insisted  Wallis,  doggedly. 

"  If  he  is  n't  a  pro-German  why  does  he  talk  like 
one?" 

"  He  does  n't,"  said  Wallis.  "  He  has  n't  talked 
pro-German  for  months.  You  fellows  thought  you 
were  hurting  his  feelings,  and  when  the  arguments 
began  running  pretty  high  you  agreed  to  drop  the 
•subject.  I  've  been  confidential  with  Hartmann 
lately,  and  he  has  n't  talked  pro-German  to  me." 

"  Now  you  've  said  something,  Wallis,"  admitted 
Raleigh,  wagging  his  head.  "  You  score  one  point. 
If  a  man  is  pro-German  he  can't  help  talking." 

"  Moreover  I  don't  believe  that  Hartmann  ever 
was  really  what  you  would  call  pro-German,"  said 
Wallis.  "  I  think  he  was  broken-hearted  over  the 
whole  business,  and  tried  to  make  excuses.  There  's 
his  brother,  killed  in  action,  and  then,  well,  he  gets 
letters  from  a  girl  in  Berlin,  and  you  know  what 
that  means." 

67 


MY    COUNTRY 

"  Romance.    You  interest  me." 

"  That 's  all  I  know,  except  that  he  has  to  write 
a  hundred  to  get  one  in  reply." 

"  Evidently  she  does  n't  like  him  so  well  as  —  as 
another  lady  I  could  mention,"  grinned  Hollister. 

"  Maybe  that 's  it,"  said  Wallis.  "  I  remember 
—  it  was  four  or  five  years  ago,  when  we  were  in 
the  Mediterranean.  She  was  in  Milan,  and  Hart- 
mann  took  his  leave  and  went  up  to  see  her.  He 
had  told  me  about  her,  some.  When  he  came  back 
he  was  like  a  dead  man.  I  never  saw  such  a  look 
in  anybody's  eyes.  He  volunteered  nothing,  and  I 
asked  no  questions,  but  I  think  I  guessed.  I  sup- 
pose I  should  n't  have  said  anything,  but  I  don't 
think  you  understand  him." 

"  Well,  he  's  a  good  officer,  I  '11  say  that  for  him," 
said  Raleigh,  who  was  a  disciplinarian. 

"  One  of  the  best  sailormen  in  all  the  seven  seas," 
admitted  Prothero,  who  had  come  back,  and  was 
listening.  "  I  shall  go  out  to  see  him  tonight,  to 
say  good  bye.  You  are  tearing  yourselves  away 
from  us  tomorrow  ?  " 

"  Homeward  bound !  We  sail  at  ten,"  grinned 
Raleigh. 

"  God !  I  envy  you,"  said  Prothero  slowly. 
"  My  folks  have  used  all  the  pull  the  family  can 
muster  to  have  me  transferred  to  the  fleet.  I  'm 

68 


THE    CALL    ACROSS    THE    SEA 

dying  for  a  whiff  of  that  fishy  North  Sea  smell, 
and —  It's  no  use;  here  I  stick." 

"  You  Ve  done  your  bit,  give  someone  else  a 
chance,"  laughed  Raleigh. 

"  It 's  all  well  enough  for  you  to  talk,"  answered 
the  Englishman.  "  You  're  going  home,  and  unless 
I  am  no  prophet  there  '11  be  something  topping  for 
you." 

"  That  is  on  the  knees  of  the  gods,"  replied  the 
American  discreetly.  "  I  don't  know  what  may  be 
in  store  for  me,"  he  added.  "  Hartmann,  Wallis, 
and  Hollister  are  under  orders  to  report  at  once  at 
Washington.  The  rest  of  us  won't  know  where 
we  are  going  until  we  arrive  at  'Frisco,  unless  we 
get  something  by  radio  on  the  way  across." 

Prothero  arose  to  go.  "  Well,  you  know  what  I 
would  like  to  say,"  he  said  simply.  "  I  '11  call  this 
evening." 

"  We  dine  at  seven,"  smiled  Raleigh. 

"  Thanks,  I  '11  be  there  —  and  say  good  bye  to 
Hartmann.  Too  bad  he  should  have  avoided  me  so 
lately." 

"  He  's  studying  a  great  deal,"  little  Wallis  has- 
tened to  explain. 

"  Studying  what  ?  "  asked  Raleigh. 

"  Oh,  tactics,  and  strategy,  everything.  He  's  a 
regular  grind,  and  you  'd  be  surprised  to  see  how 

69 


MY   COUNTRY 

far  he  's  gone  along  some  lines.  He  's  'way  past 
the  text  books,  working  out  problems  of  his  own 
that  he  's  invented.  I  'd  like  to  see  him  in  ma- 
noeuvres." 

"  I  'd  like  to  see  us  all  in  manoeuvres,"  said 
Raleigh  bitterly. 

"  He  's  got  some  sort  of  a  war-game  board  that 
he  's  made  himself,"  went  on  Wallis.  "  It  takes  up 
the  whole  of  his  stateroom.  I  've  seen  it.  We  've 
worked  together  some.  That 's  how  I  've  found  out 
how  sensitive  he  is.  He  thinks  he  's  rather  in  the 
way  in  the  wardroom  country  because  he  's  German. 
I  don't  blame  him.  Everybody  stops  talking  when 
he  shows  up,  and  the  conversation  is  switched  to 
something  else.  Things  are  better  now,  but  they 
used  to  be  pretty  bad.  I  know,  that 's  why  I  don't 
think  Hartmann  is  pro-German." 

"  What  would  you  rather  do  than  to  argue  that 
black  is  white,  Wallie  ?  "  laughed  Hollister. 

"  It 's  his  liver,"  said  Raleigh. 

"  It 's  my  common  sense,"  grinned  Wallis.  "  You 
don't  know  anything  about  psychology,  that's 
all." 

Prothero  left.  At  the  cable  office  he  met  Mrs. 
Winters,  who  was  just  going  in. 

"Dreadfully  smelly  place,  that,  Proth,"  she 
smiled ;  "  won't  you  file  this  for  me  ?  " 

70 


THE    CALL    ACROSS    THE    SEA 

He  took  the  message  from  her  hand,  left  it  with 
the  man  at  the  desk,  rejoined  her,  and  walked  back 
with  her  to  her  hotel.  If  he  had  happened  to  have 
read  it  he  would  have  discovered  that  it  was  ad- 
dressed to  Hannibal  G.  White,  Valparaiso,  and  that 
it  said  simply :  "  Sell  hundred  shares  Copiapo." 

It  might  have  interested  him,  as  an  officer  of  the 
British  navy,  if  he  had  known  that  the  message  was 
relayed  from.  Valparaiso  to  New  York,  that  it 
crossed  the  ocean  to  Stockholm,  and  was  transmitted 
thence  to  Berlin,  and  that  eventually  it  was  handed 
to  a  snug-looking  little  man  in  the  Foreign  Office, 
who  first  consulted  a  book  which  he  took  from  his 
safe,  and  then  smiled  grimly  as  he  read  it;  and  he 
would  have  been  even  more  interested  if  he  had 
known  that  the  little  man  touched  a  button  upon 
his  desk,  and  that  two  hours  later  a  big,  blonde, 
bearded  man  with  a  hastily  packed  suitcase  in  his 
hand  took  the  express  for  Kiel,  but  that  is  what 
happened. 

The  bearded  man  boarded  a  long,  gray-mottled 
submarine  that  thereupon  headed  northwest  through 
the  Cattegat  into  the  North  Sea.  Then  she  sub- 
merged, and  nosed  along  the  coast  of  Norway, 
cleared  the  north  coast  of  Scotland  between  the 
Hebrides  and  the  Faroe  Islands,  dodging  mines 
that  she  could  not  see  and  could  not  feel,  taking  a 


MY   COUNTRY 

chance  with  destiny  in  the  dark,  cold  waters  wash- 
ing south  from  Iceland.  She  headed  around  the 
north  coast  of  Ireland,  fifty  miles  off  shore  in  a 
hundred  fathoms,  and  clear  then  of  the  mine  fields, 
laid  a  course  straight  across  the  Atlantic. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

MR.    MONSON    READS   A    LETTER 

The  first  thing  Lieut.-Commander  Hartmann  did 
when  he  reached  Washington  was  to  report  at  the 
Navy  Department. 

The  next  thing  he  did  was  to  write  to  Elfrieda, 
as  he  had  done  once  every  week  for  many  years, 
although  he  knew  there  was  little  hope  of  the  letter 
reaching  her. 

It  was  not  the  kind  of  letter  he  would  have  writ- 
ten at  a  happier  time.  He  told  her  that  he  was  in 
Washington,  that  he  was  well,  and  that  he  loved 
her,  as  he  had  loved  her  from  the  time  he  had  first 
seen  her.  He  posted  the  letter  in  a  mail  box  on 
the  corner,  took  a  walk,  dined  alone,  and  went  alone 
to  a  theatre,  for  he  was  hungry  for  amusement. 
He  returned  to  the  club  at  1 1  o'clock,  and  went  to 
bed,  at  about  the  time  that  Elfrieda's  letter  was 
being  opened  and  read  by  Mr.  Monson,  a  quiet  and 
inoffensive  looking  middle-aged  gentleman  con- 
nected with  the  United  States  Secret  Service. 

As  Billy  was  driving  his  right  arm  a  little  farther 
73 


MY   COUNTRY 

under  the  pillow,  and  settling  down  for  a  good 
night's  sleep,  Mr.  Monson,  with  the  sagacity  born 
of  long  experience,  and  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Chip- 
man  Peters,  who  was  quite  an  expert  in  his  way, 
having  an  uncanny  eye  for  codes  and  ciphers,  was 
reaching  the  conclusion  that  the  letter  was  probably 
entirely  harmless. 

"  Indiscreet,  but  that  is  all  so  far  as  I  can  make 
out,"  said  Mr.  Peters. 

Mr.  Monson  nodded.  "  He  should  n't  have  writ- 
ten that  he  was  in  Washington,  and  he  would  n't 
have,  if  he  had  been  trying  to  put  something  over. 
I  hate  this  spying  upon  our  own  officers,  Peters. 
Damn  it,  can't  we  trust  our  own  men  ?  Why,  these 
fellows  —  they  will  do  the  fighting  for  us."  He 
shook  his  head.  "  I  'd  like  to  tip  this  Hartmann 
off,"  he  said.  "  He  seems  a  decent  sort,  very 
decent.  Nice  letter,  Peters.  It 's  to  his  girl. 
Confound  it,  he  ought  to  know.  It  may  put  him 
in  bad.  Damn  it,  Peters,  some  other  man  may 
get  her." 

"  Cut  out  the  sentiment,"  growled  Peters,  "  it 
does  n't  go  in  your  business." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Monson,  "  I  was  only  think- 
ing out  loud.  Still,  she  must  be  a  nice  girl,  Peters, 
to  have  a  man  write  a  letter  to  her  like  that,  don't 
you  think?" 

74 


MR.    MONSON    READS    A    LETTER 

"  How  should  I  know?  "  said  Peters. 

"  Why,  man,  you  read  the  letter." 

"  Bah !  It  was  n't  a  letter  to  me ;  it  was  a 
code." 

"  Well,  you  could  n't  find  the  key." 

"  I  may  yet.  See  here,  what  do  you  make  of 
this?" 

"Of  what?" 

Peters  handed  to  him  a  telegram.  It  was  ad- 
dressed to  Hannibal  G.  White,  43  Broadway,  New 
York.  Monson  read  it  over  slowly,  in  a  monotone : 
"  Sell  hundred  shares  Boulder." 

"  Humph !  Unsigned,"  said  Monson.  "  Woman's 
handwriting.  Very  clear,  legible  handwriting,  busi- 
ness-like." 

"  Yes." 

"  You  still  persist  in  suspecting  this  Hannibal  G. 
White?" 

"  I  suspect  everybody." 

"  But  about  White,  in  particular?  " 

"  His  cables  to  Stockholm  make  quite  a  collec- 
tion in  my  files." 

"  New  York  is  still  doing  considerable  business 
with  Stockholm,  you  know." 

"  Quite  true." 

"  Have  we  heard  anything  from  that  end  ?  " 

"  Enough  to  make  it  certain  that  there  is  a  big 
75 


MY   COUNTRY 

leakage  through  Stockholm  into  Berlin.  We  have 
nothing  on  White  yet.  This  is  the  first  despatch 
to  White  from  Washington.  It  was  received  in 
New  York  at  2:08,  delivered  to  White  in 
say,  fifteen  minutes.  At  3  :oi  White  sent  the 
following  cable  to  his  Stockholm  branch :  '  Sales 
26487.'  " 

"What  does  this  White  do?"  asked  Monson. 

"  Wood  pulp  and  paper  stocks,  and  a  small 
brokerage  business." 

"  Well,  it 's  a  case  for  the  British  branch,  if 
there  's  anything  in  it.  Have  you  communicated 
with  them?" 

"  Of  course  —  and  maybe  you  are  right,  but  I 
am  thinking  that  it  will  soon  be  a  case  for  us." 

Monson  fingered  the  telegram  Peters  had  handed 
to  him.  "Who  sent  this?" 

"  A  Mrs.  Winters.  This  is  the  original  from  the 
Western  Union.  Presumably  in  her  handwriting. 
I  wanted  a  sample  of  it.  We  may  need  it.  She 
sent  several  other  telegrams  at  the  same  time.  That 
is  how  I  identified  this  one." 

"  Did  you  get  them  ?  " 

"  Copies." 

"  Let  me  see  them." 

Peters  spread  them  out  upon  the  desk,  and  Mon- 
son read  them  over,  a  word  at  a  time : 

76 


MR.    MONSON    READS    A    LETTER 

HARWICH  AND  SONS, 

Thirty-eighth  Street  and  Broadway,  New 

York. 

Send  both  gowns  immediately  care  Summit, 
Washington.     Letter  follows. 

MRS.  C.  H.  WINTERS. 

"  The  lady  wants  her  new  dresses,  and  must  have 
them,"  commented  Mr.  Monson.     "  Next." 

CAPT.  WALTER  T.  FARQUHAR,  U.S.A., 

Fort  D.  A.  Russell,  Cheyenne,  Wyo. 
Disgusted   find  you  stationed   such  beastly 
hole.      Shall    I    have   you   transferred    East? 
Answer. 

CORRIE. 

"  The  lady  hath  pull,"  chuckled  Mr.  Monson. 
"  And  push,"  observed  Peters  drily.    "  Read  this 
one:" 

MCQUARRIE  CONSTRUCTION  Co., 

Ninth  and  Chestnut  streets,  Philadelphia, 

Pa. 

Splendid    opening    American    construction 
company  Hong  Kong.     Would  you  entertain 
business  proposition?     Wire  appointment. 
CORRIE  H.  WINTERS. 

"One  more?"  asked  Monson,  bored.    He  read: 
77 


MY   COUNTRY 

MRS.  RICHARD  BRAINERD  SABISTON, 

Namaschet,  Mass. 

Delighted  accept  invitation,  please  wire  your 
convenience. 

CORRIE  HARDING  WINTERS. 

"  Smart  woman,"  said  Monson.  "  She  's  covered 
the  whole  range,  business,  romance,  society.  I  '11 
bet  you  a  dinner  she  has  this  Farquhar  transferred 
to  Governor's  Island  and  builds  a  sky-scraper 
in  Hong  Kong.  Sound  like  perfectly  natural, 
normal,  straight- forward  telegrams  to  me.  Smart 
woman." 

"  All  plain  enough  except  the  last  one.  Somehow 
that 's  the  one  that  interests  me." 

"  Look  here,  Peters,"  said  Monson,  "  if  there 
were  anything  wrong  she  never  would  have  sent 
these  telegrams  along  with  the  one  to  White.  She  'd 
have  put  that  one  over  incog." 

"If  people  never  slipped  up  where  would  we  be?  " 
asked  Peters.  "  The  smartest  of  them  make  mis- 
takes. I  may  be  of  a  suspicious  nature,  but  all  the 
same  I  am  interested  in  this  Mrs.  Sabiston.  Na- 
maschet, Mass.  Let 's  see,  that  is  down  on  Cape 
Cod,  isn't  it?" 

"  Not  so  far  down  as  that,"  replied  Monson. 

"  Well,  it 's  on  the  sea,  anyhow." 
78 


MR.    MONSON    READS    A    LETTER 

"  Sure."  Monson  crossed  the  room,  found  a 
time-table  in  the  rack,  and  skimmed  the  pages. 
"  Here  it  is,"  he  said,  "  about  an  hour  from  Boston, 
on  the  South  shore  between  Boston  and  Plymouth." 

"  Some  day,"  said  Peters,  on  his  way  to  the  door, 
"  I  shall  be  buying  a  ticket  to  Namaschet ;  I  feel  it 
in  my  bones." 

"If  you  ever  get  caught  down  there  in  one  of 
those  East  winds  you  '11  feel  it  in  your  bones," 
laughed  Monson,  "  and  anyhow,  we  can't  spare  you 
for  these  wild  goose  chases.  You  're  learning  too 
much  about  the  code  stuff." 

"  I  'm  thinking  of  cutting  that  out,"  replied 
Peters,  wrinkling  up  his  forehead.  "  I  like  the 
outside  work  better.  More  doing." 

"  You  stick  to  your  job  and  you  '11  be  famous." 

"  Famous  and  unknown.  Well,  anyhow,  Monson, 
find  out  what  you  can  about  Winters.  I  'm  really 
interested." 

He  went  out,  and  Monson  deposited  Elfrieda's 
letter  in  the  filing  case,  under  the  H's,  along  with 
more  intimate  details  about  Lieut-Commander  Wil- 
liam Hartmann,  U.S.N.,  than  that  slumbering  gen- 
tleman knew  about  himself. 

The  clock  struck  one  as  he  went  back  and  sat  down 
at  his  desk,  which  was  a  coincidence,  for  at  that 
precise  instant,  Corrie,  who  had  just  returned  to  her 

79 


MY   COUNTRY 

apartment  from  a  dinner  and  a  bridge,  was  picking 
up  from  her  dressing  table  a  letter  from  the  pile  of 
mail  which  she  had  left  there  earlier  in  the  evening, 
in  the  haste  of  getting  away  to  her  engagement. 
The  envelope  was  plain,  but  the  letter  within  was 
written  on  the  stationery  of  Mr.  Hannibal  G.  White, 
of  45  Broadway,  New  York.  It  read : 

MY  DEAR  MRS.  WINTERS: 

Thank  you  so  much  for  your  interest  in  my 
friend.  I  was  wondering  if  you  could  n't  help 
to  obtain  a  good  detail  for  him,  something, 
for  instance,  such  as  Assistant  Chief-of-Staff 
to  the  Commander-in-Chief.  I  think  it  would 
be  splendid.  You  will  find  my  check  enclosed. 

Corrie  glanced  at  the  check,  and  smiled  with  satis- 
faction. She  lighted  a  cigarette,  and  smoked  it, 
her  eyes  half  closed.  Presently  she  went  to  the  tele- 
phone, asked  for  a  number,  and  stood  waiting  im- 
patiently, while  the  cigarette  burned  to  her  fingers. 
At  last  her  face  brightened. 

"Are  you  there,  Senator?"  she  asked  into  the 
receiver.  "  This  is  Mrs.  Winters.  Yes,  thanks,  I 
reached  home  safely.  Senator,  I  've  been  thinking, 
and  I  want  you  to  do  something  for  me.  Why 
could  n't  Billy  Hartmann  be  made  —  "  she  glanced 
at  the  letter  on  her  dressing  table  — "  Assistant 

80 


MR.    MONSON    READS    A   LETTER 

Chief-of-Staff  to  the  Commander-in-Chief ?     Isn't 
that  an  adorable  idea  ?    I  'm  not  certain,  but  I  think 
he  has  enough  rank  for  it.    Oh,  yes,  I  'm  sure  he  'd 
like  it.    Thank  you,  Senator,  good  night." 
Then  she  went  to  bed,  smiling. 


81 


CHAPTER    IX 

WAITING    ORDERS 

Billy  turned  over  and  yawned,  and  stretched  him- 
self luxuriously.  Liberty  like  this  was  good,  after 
so  many  months  at  sea,  and  he  meant  to  enjoy  it. 
He  took  another  nap,  overslept  himself,  and  it  was 
nearly  twelve  o'clock  when,  after  his  bath  and  shave, 
he  dressed  himself  leisurely  and  went  down  to 
breakfast. 

He  was  half-way  across  the  room  when  he  looked 
up  from  the  headlines  he  had  been  scanning,  and 
saw  Mrs.  Winters  and  little  Wallis  lunching  tete-a- 
tete  in  the  cosiest  corner.  They  beckoned  to  him 
joyously,  and  he  went  over  and  joined  them,  Mrs. 
Winters  regarding  him,  as  he  crossed  the  room  with 
the  swift  stride  that  only  the  long-limbed  use,  with  a 
critical  and  approving  eye. 

Like  most  men,  in  both  branches  of  the  service, 
Billy  liked  to  get  into  citizen's  clothes  whenever  he 
could,  and  like  most  soldiermen,  and  some  sailor- 
men,  he  looked  remarkably  well  in  them.  Not  even 
Mrs.  Winters,  who  could  detect  the  slightest  physi- 

82 


WAITING   ORDERS 

cal  flaw  in  a  man  at  a  single  glance,  found  fault 
with  him,  and  there  was  something  more  than  the 
passing  whim  of  the  moment  in  the  warm  touch  of 
her  soft  fingers  as  she  patted  the  long-fingered, 
sinewy  hand  he  held  out  to  her.  He  had  known 
Mrs.  Winters  too  long  to  feel  the  slightest  surprise 
at  seeing  her.  It  was  the  most  natural  thing  in  the 
world  for  her  to  be  lunching  at  the  club. 

He  had  grown  into  a  tall  man,  straight  and  tough 
as  a  spar.  Blonde,  but  not  too  blonde,  with  dark 
blue  eyes  that  could  cut  like  a  chisel  and  a  fair,  clear 
skin,  he  was  colored  by  the  wind  that  sweeps  a  deck 
across  an  open  sea  to  a  pink-bronze  shade  that  is 
vastly  different  from  the  beach  sunburn  of  a  lands- 
man. He  had  a  good,  strong  nose,  high  in  the 
bridge,  and  a  mouth  that  was  open  only  when  he 
spoke. 

"  Sit  down,  Billy,"  commanded  Mrs.  Winters. 

He  drew  up  a  chair,  while  Wallis  called  a  waiter, 
and  recommended  the  chops  and  corn  muffins. 

"  It 's  good  to  see  you  again,  dear  boy,"  purred 
Mrs.  Winters.  "  You  kept  yourself  so  close  at 
Hong  Kong  I  scarcely  caught  a  glimpse  of  you. 
When  did  you  get  in,  how  long  shall  you  be  here, 
and  where  are  you  going?  " 

"  Yesterday.  As  for  the  rest,  I  don't  know.  I  'm 
waiting  orders." 

83 


MY   COUNTRY 

Wallis  looked  as  though  he  had  intended  to  speak, 
but  he  gulped  bashfully  instead,  and  abandoned  the 
effort.  He  had  been  about  to  remind  Mrs.  Winters 
that  she  knew  when  Billy  had  arrived  in  Washing- 
ton, because  she  had  called  him  up  at  the  club  the 
day  before,  and  he  had  told  her  that  they  had  both 
reached  town  that  morning. 

"  What  do  you  want  to  do  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Winters. 

"  What  does  any  man  want  to  do  ?  "  he  smiled. 
"  I  want  active  service,  of  course."  He  spread  out 
the  paper,  and  showed  her  the  headlines.  "  Be- 
ginning to  look  serious,  is  n't  it  ?  " 

"  Do  you  really  think  we  are  going  to  have  war, 
Billy?"  Mrs.  Winters  leaned  across  the  table  to- 
ward him,  and  in  her  green-gray  eyes  there  sud- 
denly shone  a  more  serious  light  than  he  remem- 
bered ever  to  have  seen  in  them.  He  had  looked 
into  Mrs.  Winters'  eyes,  which  were  famous  on 
four  continents,  many  times  before,  and  had  seen 
in  them  only  —  other  things.  Now  for  the  first 
time  he  beheld  anxiety  and  concern.  "  Do  you 
really  think  so,  Billy?"  she  repeated,  bending  over 
so  close  to  him  that  he  could  feel  her  warm  breath 
upon  his  cheek. 

"  Of  course,"  said  Billy,  "  it 's  inevitable,  and  has 
been  for  a  long  time." 

"  Do  you  think  that  Germany  will  fight  ?  " 
84 


WAITING    ORDERS 

"  She  's  forcing  us  to  fight  her.  She  's  been 
fighting  us  for  a  long  time,"  he  answered.  Little 
Wallis,  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  get  into  the  con- 
versation, wagged  his  head  vigorously,  and  subsided. 

Mrs.  Winters'  memory  flashed  back  across  the 
Pacific,  to  the  club  gallery  at  Hong  Kong,  to  the 
conversation  about  Hartmann  she  had  heard  there 
on  her  last  afternoon,  to  the  cablegram  she  had  sent 
to  Valparaiso. 

"  She  's  forcing  us  to  fight  her !  "  That  sentence, 
that  had  come  from  Hartmann's  lips  so  vigorously 
and  naturally,  repeated  itself  over  and  over  again  in 
her  brain  like  the  tantalizing  refrain  of  the  latest 
tango  waltz.  She  flashed  a  quick  glance  at  him, 
then  turned  her  head,  and  sat  staring  out  of  window, 
so  that  she  did  not  see  the  party  of  young  naval 
officers  who  entered  at  that  moment,  and  took  a 
table  that  was  screened  from  where  they  sat  by  a 
bank  of  palms.  They  had  evidently  been  having  an 
argument,  which  they  resumed.  Suddenly  a  man's 
voice  said : 

"  Nevertheless  and  notwithstanding,  I  don't  want 
to  go  into  action  under  a  Prussian." 

"  Don't  get  worked  up  about  it,"  laughed  another 
voice,  the  voice  of  an  older  man,  "  you  won't  have  to." 

"  I  'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  insisted  the  first. 
"  Take  Billy  Hartmann,  for  example." 

85 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Is  Billy  Hartmann  a  Prussian?  " 

"  Look  him  up  in  the  Register." 

"  I  have  served  with  him  for  years,  and  I  never 
knew  that." 

"We  don't  know  lots  of  things,  and  we  have 
forgotten  others,  but  we  are  beginning  to  re- 
member them,  now.  Billy  Hartmann  was  born  in 
Germany." 

"  I  knew  he  had  a  German  name,  but  I  supposed 
he  was  born  here." 

"  Well,  he  was  n't,  and  what  are  you  going  to 
do  about  it  ?  I  tell  you,  it 's  serious  business.  And 
Billy  Hartmann  is  n't  the  only  one.  I  mention  him 
because  we  all  know  him,  and  like  him." 

"  He 's  always  been  one  of  us.  Confound  it, 
man,  he  's  as  good  an  American  as  any  of  us," 
said  another  voice.  Mrs.  Winters  was  squirming. 
Billy  sat  doggedly  cutting  his  chop. 

"  Just  the  same  he  's  a  Prussian,"  insisted  the 
man  who  had  spoken  at  first.  "  I  think  the  decent 
thing  for  all  of  them  to  do,  at  a  time  like  this,  is 
to  recognize  that  the  situation  is  embarrassing  and 
offer  to  step  aside." 

"Resign?" 

"  Not  necessarily.  Oh,  no,  not  resign.  I  think 
they  should  ask  for  service  where  —  well,  where 
nobody  would  be  —  you  know  what  I  mean.  '  Put 

86 


WAITING    ORDERS 

none  but  Americans  on  guard  tonight ! '  That 's 
my  motto." 

"  That 's  what  I  say,"  said  another  voice.  "  My 
ancestors  —  " 

"  Now,  we  know  all  about  your  ancestors,  Hollis- 
ter.  We  've  got  'em  catalogued.  Forget  'em." 
Another  voice  had  taken  up  the  conversation. 
"  What  difference  does  it  make  whether  your  an- 
cestors came  over  in  the  Mayflower  or  the  Kaiser 
Wilhelm  der  Grossed  " 

"  It 's  going  to  make  a  lot  of  difference  when 
this  war  comes." 

"  It  ought  not  to,  and  I  don't  believe  it  will. 
We  're  all  immigrants  —  and  we  're  here  because 
we  're  here.  We  can't  ask  every  chap  with  a  Ger- 
man name  to  intern  himself  for  the  war.  We  need 
every  officer  we  've  got  —  and  then  some.  As  for 
Billy  Hartmann,  why,  man,  he  's  one  of  the  best 
strategists  in  the  service." 

"  He  has  the  reputation  in  the  British  navy," 
admitted  Hollister,  "  of  being  the  best  strategist 
we  have." 

"  I  don't  mean  to  say  anything  against  Billy 
Hartmann,"  interjected  the  first  voice.  "  He  is 
without  exception  one  of  the  finest  men  I  ever 
knew.  And  he  is  strong  in  strategy  and  in  tactics. 
But  what  good  would  it  do  us  if  —  if  in  a  pinch  — 

8? 


MY   COUNTRY 

if  on  the  final  show-down  —  he  had  a  soft  spot  in 
his  heart  for  —  It  means  something  to  be  born  in 
a  country.  I  don't  believe  you  ever  get  over  it." 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment.  Billy  was  look- 
ing straight  before  him,  and  he  was  smiling,  but 
his  cheeks  were  red.  Mrs.  Winters  had  risen  nobly 
to  many  occasions,  but  she  could  not  rise  to  this 
one.  Little  Wallis  started  from  his  chair,  and 
Billy  motioned  him  back. 

"  However,  so  far  as  Billy  Hartmann  is  con- 
cerned," resumed  a  voice  at  the  next  table,  "  you 
can  calm  your  anxieties.  He  has  n't  enough  rank 
for  command,  except,  of  course,  that  he  might 
command  a  division  of  four  destroyers.  But  he 
could  n't  command  the  fleet." 

"  Yes,  but  he  could,  and  that 's  just  the  point. 
Do  you  know  that  Hartmann  has  been  made  As- 
sistant Chief-of-Staff  to  the  Commander-in-Chief  ?  " 

"  Has  that  been  decided  on  ?  " 

"  Everybody  at  the  Department  has  it."  Mrs. 
Winters  abandoned  every  pretence  of  not  listening. 

"  That  should  n't  have  been  announced." 

"  Who 's  keeping  secrets  at  the  Department 
now  ?  "  asked  a  husky,  disgusted  voice  that  had  not 
joined  in  the  conversation  before.  "  I  '11  answer  it 
—  nobody." 

"  Well,  Hartmann  is  Assistant  Chief-of-Staff, 
88 


then,  and  the  fleet  goes  into  action,  and  he  '$  in 
the  flag  conning  tower  with  the  Admiral  and  the 
Chief-of-Staff,  do  you  get  me?  Well,  a  fragment 
of  shell,  the  first  shell  fired,  we  '11  say,  enters  the 
conning  tower,  and  kills  the  Admiral  and  the  Chief- 
of-Staff.  Are  you  following  me?  Hartmann  is  n't 
killed.  Now  of  course  he  could  notify  the  Captain 
of  the  flagship  —  but  he  would  n't  have  to,  and 
there  would  be  no  way  for  anybody  to  know  unless 
he  did.  He  could  stay  in  that  conning  tower  and 
give  every  signal,  every  order  to  the  fleet.  The 
plan  of  battle  would  be  his  to  make.  He  would 
hold  the  destiny  of  the  American  republic  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hands  —  and  the  fleet  opposing  him 
would  be  the  fleet  of  his  Fatherland." 

"  By  Jove !  "  A  very  deep-voiced  man  suddenly 
boomed  out.  "  And  the  German  fleet  might  even 
be  commanded  by  Hartmann's  brother." 

"What!" 

"  Hartmann  has  a  brother  in  the  German  navy." 

"  I  've  heard  that,  too,"  said  another.  "  Some- 
thing peculiar  about  it,  as  I  recall  it.  What  was 
it,  now?  It  was  when  we  were  on  our  first  mid- 
shipman cruise.  We  touched  at  Kiel  —  and  Billy 
Hartmann  brought  his  brother  to  lunch,  and  —  I 
have  it,  I  remember  all  about  it.  It  was  a  twin 
brother,  the  living  image  of  Billy." 

89 


MY   COUNTRY 

"There,  do  you  get  that?"  said  the  man  who 
had  been  the  first  to  speak.  "  Here  's  Billy  Hart- 
mann  in  the  flag  conning  tower,  and  here  's  the 
German  fleet  coming  out  of  the  fog,  commanded 
by  his  twin  brother.  Of  course,  his  brother  may 
not  be  commanding  the  German  fleet." 

"  No,"  interjected  Hollister,  "  his  brother  is  dead, 
lost  in  the  Jutland  fight.  I  heard  them  talking  about 
it  at  Hong  Kong." 

"  That 's  not  the  point,  it 's  the  principle  of  the 
thing." 

"Good  God!  I  hadn't  thought  of  that,"  said 
anothe'r  voice. 

"  It 's  time  you  did  think  of  it.  The  men  are 
sulking  about  it.  Waldron  has  a  great  way  of  find- 
ing out  what  the  gun  deck  is  thinking.  He  told  me. 
They  're  superstitious.  They  don't  want  to  go  into 
battle  under  any  Prussians,  and  that 's  all  there  is  to 
it,  and  I  don't  blame  them.  And  mark  my  words, 
the  country  will  be  sitting  up  and  taking  notice  be- 
fore long." 

"  You  forget  that  the  German  fleet  can't  get  out. 
Don't  overlook  the  British  fleet,"  laughed  some 
one. 

"  We  may  not  have  that  to  depend  upon  always. 
We  may  have  to  look  out  for  ourselves  some  day, 
and  that 's  the  day  I  'm  thinking  of." 

90 


WAITING   ORDERS 

Billy  could  stand  no  more.  He  felt  as  though  he 
were  choking,  as  though  every  drop  of  blood  in  his 
body  had  ebbed  away.  He  gave  Mrs.  Winters  his 
hand,  nodded  at  Wallis,  who  smiled  encouragingly 
at  him,  and  walked  out.  Wallis  waited  until  he 
had  got  away,  then  leaped  to  his  feet  and  burst 
through  the  palms. 

"  My  God!"  he  cried,  "  Hartmann  was  sitting 
here  all  the  time." 

"  Billy  Hartmann!    Why  did  n't  you  tell  us?  " 

"Tell  you?  I  was  frozen."  He  went  back  to 
Mrs.  Winters,  and  took  her  away,  voluble  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life  in  the  presence  of  a  good-looking 
woman. 

"  Think  of  the  insult  of  it,"  he  said.  "  It  will  kill 
him.  He  's  as  sensitive  as  a  girl."  He  babbled  on. 

"  What  was  it  they  said  Billy  had  been  appointed," 
she  asked,  "  Assistant  Chief-of-Staff  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  ?  Yes,  that  was  it."  She  was  look- 
ing off  across  the  park,  and  had  completely  forgotten 
Wallis. 

That  afternoon  Mr.  Peters  took  into  Mr.  Mon- 
son,  and  laid  upon  that  romantic  gentleman's  desk, 
a  telegram  addressed  to  Mr.  Hannibal  G.  White, 
of  45  Broadway,  New  York.  It  read : 

"  Sell  hundred  shares  Ankorite." 


CHAPTER  X 

ADDED  ATTRACTION  MLLE.  FRALLI 

Billy  had  instructions  to  report  at  the  Depart- 
ment at  two,  so  there  was  still  an  hour  for  him  to 
pull  himself  together. 

He  headed  south,  blindly,  not  knowing  where  he 
was  going,  entered  the  grounds  back  of  the  White 
House,  and  turned  into  the  ellipse.  This  brought 
him  out  on  the  Speedway,  and  he  was  soon  at  the 
river,  where  he  walked  on  the  seawall,  all  alone, 
until  he  felt  that  he  had  himself  under  control.  He 
kept  his  appointment  punctually,  and  learned  offi- 
cially of  his  assignment  as  Assistant  Chief-of-Staff 
to  the  Commander-in-Chief. 

"  God  is  good  to  me  in  some  things,"  he  thought ; 
"  I  shall  be  with  the  fleet." 

He  knew  that  an  older  man,  with  more  rank, 
might  have  a  greater  claim  to  this  post,  but  if  his 
value  were  recognized,  so  much  the  better  for  him. 
He  was  to  remain  in  Washington  for  the  present, 
awaiting  orders.  He  left  the  building,  walking  on 
air. 

92 


ADDED  ATTRACTION  —  MLLE.  FRALLI 

Billy  thought  of  the  day  when  Mr.  Black  had 
come  down  to  the  front  of  the  platform  to  inform 
the  school  that  one  of  the  boys  had  been  appointed 
to  an  Annapolis  cadetship,  and  how  proud  he  had 
been  when  he  had  been  called  up  by  the  principal  to 
make  a  speech.  Not  since  that  day  of  his  youth  had 
he  known  such  exhilaration  of  soul  as  he  now  felt. 
He  would  be  with  the  North  Atlantic  fleet,  and  if 
Fate  were  kind  he  would  go  into  action,  not  a 
wretched  brush  with  a  handful  of  miserable  Chinese 
and  Malay  pirates,  or  West  Indian  revolution- 
ists, but  the  real  thing,  the  thing  that  every  man 
in  the  navy  had  dreamed  of,  and  had  wondered 
about,  and  worked  and  planned  towards.  He 
crossed  the  street,  skipping  like  a  boy,  turned  into 
the  Avenue,  under  the  monster  elms  that  were 
beginning  to  respond  to  the  soft  caresses  of  ap- 
proaching spring,  and  strode  along  by  the  high 
iron  fence  that  stands  guard  around  the  home  of 
the  President. 

Ahead  of  him  was  a  little  man  in  a  black  overcoat 
and  a  black  slouch  hat.  There  was  something  very 
familiar  about  the  neck  and  shoulders,  and  upon 
passing  him,  and  turning  to  take  a  side-long  glance 
at  him,  Billy  was  not  surprised  to  find  that  he  knew 
him.  It  was  Mr.  Marshfield,  a  trifle  stouter,  a  bit 
more  bald,  decidedly  grayer.  The  hair  that  showed 

93 


MY    COUNTRY 

beneath  his  hat  was,  in  fact,  quite  white ;  but  his  eye 
still  had  the  whimsical,  humorous  twinkle,  and  his 
hand-clasp  was  as  warm  and  friendly  as  it  had  been 
in  the  old  days.  Billy  found  himself  believing,  as 
he  did  on  the  first  day  he  had  ever  seen  Mr.  Marsh- 
field,  that  he  was  the  one  person  in  the  whole  world 
whom  Mr.  Marshfield  would  rather  see  and  shake 
hands  with  above  all  others.  His  heart  warmed  to 
him  as  he  caught  step. 

"  This  is  a  delightful  surprise,  Mr.  Marshfield," 
Billy  smiled.  "  I  did  n't  expect  to  meet  you  in 
Washington." 

Mr.  Marshfield  regarded  him  with  astonishment. 
He  seemed  hurt,  even  offended.  It  was  a  new  sen- 
sation for  him  to  discover  that  there  was  anybody 
on  earth  who  did  n't  expect  to  meet  Ben  Marshfield 
in  Washington. 

"  I  'm  here  practically  all  the  time,  nowadays," 
he  said,  and  helped  himself  to  a  fresh  cigar,  throw- 
ing the  old  one  through  the  iron  bars. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Billy,  declining  a  cigar 
from  the  proffered  case.  "  It  seems  to  me  I  heard 
that  you  had  been  defeated  for  Congress,  some 
years  ago,  and  I  supposed  you  had  retired  from 
politics." 

"  They  gerrymandered  me  out  of  my  old  district, 
dad-blame  'em,  so  I  tried  for  the  other  end  of  the 

94 


ADDED  ATTRACTION  —  MLLE.  FRALLI 

Capitol,  and  finally  landed.  Been  there  two  years," 
explained  Mr.  Marshfield. 

"  I  've  been  at  sea  nearly  three,"  said  Billy. 
"  That  accounts  for  my  ignorance.  I  had  wondered 
if  you  would  remember  me  after  all  these  years." 

"  I  never  forget  anybody  I  've  done  a  favor  for," 
laughed  Senator  Marshfield.  "  Slow  up,  son,  those 
are  long  legs  of  yours.  Besides,  it  has  n't  been  so 
many  years."  It  was  as  if  some  one  had  accused  him 
of  being  old.  There  was  nothing  that  Mr.  Marsh- 
field  resented  so  much  as  the  imputation  that  by  any 
possibility  the  years  could  be  telling  upon  him.  It 
was  his  one  feminine  trait.  "  Don't  forget  any- 
body. I  Ve  kept  my  eye  on  you  ever  since  you 
entered  the  Academy." 

"  I  shall  never  be  able  to  repay  you  for  what  you 
have  done  for  me,"  said  Billy ;  "  you  gave  me  my 
start." 

"  You  're  one  of  my  boys,"  laughed  the  Senator. 
"  Never  forget  my  boys.  I  Ve  watched  your  career, 
read  a  lot  about  you,  and  I  'm  glad  you  're  getting 
along  so  well.  This  new  assignment  of  yours  is  a 
big  thing.  Make  the  most  of  it." 

"  My  assignment  ?  "  stammered  Billy.  "  I  did  n't 
know  that  you  had  heard  about  that.  I  supposed  it 
was  merely  known  in  the  service." 

Senator  Marshfield  chuckled.  His  face  glowed 
95 


MY   COUNTRY 

with  the  warmth  of  mirth.     His  beady  little  eyes 
fairly  danced. 

"  I  fixed  it,"  he  said,  patting  Billy's  shoulder. 
They  had  turned  into  the  Avenue  again.  Ahead  of 
them  the  great  dome  of  the  Capitol  stood  out,  a 
white  sentinel  of  liberty,  against  the  arching  blue. 

"  You  fixed  it?  "  Billy's  voice  in  spite  of  himself 
was  incredulous.  He  knew  that  Congressman 
Marshfield  had  given  to  him,  unasked,  one  of  the 
prizes  in  the  world,  and  he  had  always  regarded  that 
as  one  of  the  remarkable  things  of  life  not  to  be  ac- 
counted for  by  any  mere  mortal.  But  that  he  could 
do  this  thing,  even  though  he  was  now  a  Senator, 
seemed  so  stupendous  that  it  dazed  him.  He 
stopped,  and  looked  at  the  Senator  in  amazement. 

"  Sure  I  fixed  it,  Hartmann,"  laughed  the  Sena- 
tor heartily.  "  Now,  don't  overwhelm  me  with 
your  gratitude.  I  know  it 's  a  big  thing  for  you, 
and  of  course  I  always  like  to  do  things  for  my  own 
boys.  But  this  appointment  of  yours  was  so  obvi- 
ously the  proper  one  to  make  that  it  was,  as  you 
might  say,  practically  inevitable.  It 's  the  best  ap- 
pointment that  could  possibly  have  been  made." 

Billy's  face  turned  the  color  of  a  red  brick  wall. 
He  tried  to  say  something,  to  express  the  thoughts 
that  came  crowding  to  his  mind.  He  had  worked, 
he  had  studied,  he  had  given  to  the  navy,  which 

96 


ADDED  ATTRACTION  —  MLLE.   FRALLI 

was  all  he  had  in  the  world,  his  days  and  nights, 
his  whole  life,  everything.  He  had  tried  the  best 
he  could  to  be  worthy  of  the  opportunity  that  had 
come  to  him  so  wonderfully,  the  chance  to  stay  in 
America,  to  make  Elfrieda  his,  some  day;  and 
when  that  hope  had  finally  been  abandoned,  he  had 
clung  to  the  navy  itself  as  a  symbol.  If  what  he 
had  given  was  understood  and  appreciated,  he  was 
content.  He  stammered  brokenly  something  of 
what  he  felt. 

"  Best  possible,"  insisted  Senator  Marshfield,  as 
though  some  one  had  argued  the  point  with  him. 
"  Smartest  political  appointment  that  could  have 
been  made.  No  chance  in  the  navy  for  many  of 
them." 

"Sir!" 

"  Absolutely." 

"Political?    I  thought  —  " 

"  Why,  boy,  don't  you  see,"  said  Senator  Marsh- 
field,  drawing  Billy's  arm  through  his  own,  "  it  '11 
have  a  tremendous  political  effect.  It  '11  just  about 
cinch  the  German-American  vote.  Of  course, 
there  's  a  lot  of  wild  clamor  against  the  Germans 
now,  but  after  the  war  we  '11  have  to  live  with  them 
—  and  we  '11  need  them." 

Billy's  tongue  slipped  down  his  throat,  and  he 
could  n't  find  it. 

97 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  I  asked  your  appointment  as  a  personal  favor 
—  I  'm  on  the  Naval  Committee  —  see  ?  It  '11 
tickle  'em  out  home.  That  name  Hartmann  will 
fetch  'em.  They  '11  like  the  idea  of  our  trusting  a 
man  with  that  kind  of  a  name  in  an  important  post. 
You  see,  son,  the  fight  for  the  next  House  is  going 
to  be  about  the  most  important  political  contest  this 
country  has  seen  since  the  Civil  War.  It  may  de- 
termine the  complexion  of  the  Government  for 
fifty  years.  If  the  cards  are  played  right  the  party 
in  power  will  stay  in.  The  Allies  are  going  to  win 
the  war,  of  course.  Germany  is  a  gone  coon.  When 
it  is  over  we  don't  want  any  German-American 
grudges  settled  at  the  polls.  Tickle  'em  now  when- 
ever it  is  possible,  that 's  the  scheme." 

"  When  did  you  do  this?  "  Billy  asked. 

"  Nine  o'clock  this  morning.  Whenever  I  get  a 
good  idea  I  never  let  any  grass  grow  under  my 
feet." 

"  Did  n't  the  Board  pass  on  it?  " 

Senator  Marshfield  chuckled.  "  It  takes  the  prac- 
tical politician  to  cut  out  the  red  tape,  son,"  he  said. 
"  What  we  need  to  do  at  a  time  like  this  is  to  get 
down  to  brass  tacks.  Well,  I  guess  I  '11  have  to 
leave  you.  I  had  intended  to  walk  down  to  the 
Capitol,  but  I  'm  tired.  It  keeps  a  man  busy  nowa- 
days getting  things  for  his  constituents.  A  war 

98 


ADDED  ATTRACTION  —  MLLE.  FRALLI 

means  lots  of  patronage,  and  patronage  means 
work."  He  whistled  for  a  taxi. 

"  Good  bye,  Senator,"  Billy  said,  holding  out  his 
hand. 

"  When  are  you  going?  "  asked  Senator  Marsh- 
field,  shaking  it  with  great  cordiality. 

"  My  orders  are  uncertain.  I  do  not  know.  I 
may  not  see  you  again,  so  let  me  thank  you  for  your 
interest  in  me,  and  for  this  — "  He  could  not 
bring  himself  to  finish  the  sentence. 

"  Don't  thank  me,  son,"  laughed  Senator  Marsh- 
field,  lightly,  "  thank  Mrs.  Winters." 

"Mrs.  Winters!" 

"  She  put  the  idea  into  my  mind.  Of  course,  I 
might  have  thought  of  it  myself,  in  fact  somebody 
else  suggested  it,  too,  but  Mrs.  Winters  saw  it  first. 
Smart  woman." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  you  knew  Mrs.  Winters." 

"  Everybody  knows  Mrs.  Winters,"  said  the 
Senator.  "  I  'd  as  soon  be  dead  as  not  to  know 
her.  Charming  woman,  ideas  just  shoot  from  her. 
She  called  me  up  last  night,  and  then,  Bruch 
thought  it  would  be  a  good  thing.  You  remember 
him,  old  friend  of  the  family?  I  had  a  letter  about 
it  this  morning.  The  rest  was  easy.  Well,  good 
bye,  son."  He  waved  farewell  from  the  taxicab. 

Billy  groaned  in  spirit.  He  felt  as  though  he 
99 


MY    COUNTRY 

had  suddenly  gone  dead  on  his  feet.  He  was  still 
standing  on  the  curbstone  where  the  Senator  had 
left  him,  five  minutes  later,  when  somebody  came 
out  of  the  hotel  behind  him,  looked  at  him  closely, 
and  then  touched  him  on  the  arm. 

Billy  turned  dejectedly,  and  there  was  Neil  Law- 
son.  He  recognized  him  at  once,  although  it  had 
been  years  since  he  had  seen  him  last.  He  had 
grown  from  a  clean-cut  boy  into  a  quick,  active, 
alert  man,  a  little  under  size,  but  as  full  of  snap 
as  a  fox  terrier,  and  very  good  looking. 

They  shook  hands,  as  men  do  who  have  been 
separated  for  a  long  time,  and  feel  the  same  old 
thrill  of  friendship  that  they  knew  as  boys,  upon 
meeting  again.  Billy  could  have  hugged  him,  for 
he  was  lonesome  and  low-spirited.  He  suggested 
lunch. 

"  Too  busy  packing,"  said  Neil.  "  I  '11  tell  you, 
Billy,  you  come  out  to  my  apartment,  and  have 
luncheon  with  me,  and  we  can  talk  over  old  times 
while  I  am  getting  my  things  together." 

"  That  will  suit  me  splendidly." 

"  You  are  still  in  the  navy,  of  course.  I  've  read 
about  you  now  and  then.  That  was  a  fine  thing 
you  did  at  the  time  of  that  revolution  in  Santo 
Domingo.  When  was  it,  four  or  five  years  ago? 
I  can't  keep  track  of  the  years.  They  are  slipping 

IOO 


ADDED  ATTRACTION  —  MLLE.  FRALLI 

by,  but  somehow  it  seems  only  yesterday  that  we 
were  playing  ball  in  the  field  back  of  the  old 
school.  You  have  n't  changed  a  bit,  Billy,  a  few 
more  lines  of  character  in  your  face,  but  you  look 
the  same." 

"  You  are  much  the  same,  too.  I  am  certainly 
glad  to  see  you." 

"  And  Karl  —  poor  old  Karl  —  was  killed." 

"You  heard  of  it?" 

'  There  was  something  about  him  in  the  papers. 
I  —  I  know  how  you  feel,  Billy." 

"  Thanks,  old  man." 

"And  how  are  all  the  Sigberts?" 

"  I  hear  from  them,  now  and  then.  The  war 
must  have  fallen  upon  them  heavily.  Lately  the 
letters  have  stopped  coming." 

"  Elfrieda,  she  is  well,  I  hope?  " 

"  Yes,  I  —  I  hope  so." 

"You  never  married,  Billy?" 

"  No." 

"I  had  thought  —  Elfrieda  —  I  was  sure  she 
would  have  become  a  great  singer  by  now." 

'  There  is  no  short  cut  to  success  in  opera,"  said 
Billy. 

"  She  is  still  studying?" 

"  She  is  still  with  Ruhlmann." 

"  Oh  —  I  see." 

101 


MY   COUNTRY 

They  got  into  Lawson's  car,  that  was  waiting  at 
the  curb,  and  rode  out  to  the  apartment  in  Seven- 
teenth street,  where  Neil  had  a  large  living  room, 
a  bedroom  and  bath,  and  a  long  hallway,  lined 
with  books.  It  was  attractively  furnished,  and 
comfortable. 

"Shall  we  have  lunch  here,  or  in  the  cafe?" 
asked  Neil. 

"  In  here,  if  you  would  just  as  soon." 

"  I  prefer  it,  too."  He  gave  an  order  over  the 
telephone,  mixed  a  cocktail,  and  drew  a  chair  up 
beside  Billy,  who  sat  staring  into  the  gas-log. 

Luncheon  was  brought  in,  and  they  sat  down  at 
a  round  mahogany  table  near  the  window. 

"  I  '11  have  some  packing  to  do,"  Neil  said,  "  but 
we  can  talk  away,  just  the  same." 

"  Where  are  you  going?  " 

"  Florida.    Aviation  school." 

"  That  is  fine,  Neil." 

"  I  must  do  something,  of  course.  I  thought  that 
was  the  best  thing  to  go  into.  It  is  up-to-date,  and 
modern,  and  everybody,  more  or  less,  will  be  a 
novice7,  at  first,  and  I  shall  not  seem  such  a  dunce. 
I  can  run  an  automobile  —  it  is  the  only  practical 
thing  I  do  know  how  to  do  —  and  I  thought  I  might 
manage  with  an  airplane.  I  had  a  little  political 
pull,  and  obtained  an  appointment  to  the  school.'' 

1 02 


ADDED   ATTRACTION  —  MLLE.    FRALLI 

Billy  winced.  "  Do  you  have  to  have  pull?  "  he 
asked. 

"  Certainly.  It  is  the  royal  road  to  everything,  in 
Washington.  I  shall  probably  secure  a  commission 
—  and  break  my  neck.  Well,  that  is  what  we  are 
here  for.  I  saw  something  in  the  paper  about  you. 
I  do  not  understand  about  it  exactly.  I  hope  the 
detail  is  a  good  one." 

"  Was  it  in  the  newspapers?  " 

"  The  noon  extra." 

"  It  is  an  important  post,"  said  Billy,  "  I  am 
very  happy  about  it." 

"  It  is  splendid,  I  think,  to  give  a  thing  like  that 
to  a  man —  You  know  what  I  mean,  Billy.  You 
were  born  in  Germany,  you  know." 

"You  thought  of  that?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  it  is  great.  It  shows  the  world  that  we 
are  really  one  people,  after  all,  that  we  are  Ameri- 
cans together." 

"Do  you  think  so?" 

"  Of  course." 

Billy  felt  something  within  him  suddenly  come  to 
life.  He  stretched  his  hand  quickly  across  the  table. 

"  I  want  to  shake  hands  with  you,  Neil,"  he  said. 

"What  is  it?" 

"  You  have  helped  me.  The  fact  is,  some  people 
will  not  like  this  appointment  of  mine,  I  am  afraid." 

103 


MY   COUNTRY 

"What  people?" 

"  The  folks  whose  ancestors  came  over  in  the 
Mayflower.  They  forget  that  these  same  ancestors 
of  theirs  fought  two  wars  against  England,  and  that 
they  themselves  were  generally  anti-English  at  the 
time  of  the  Boer  War.  They  think  that  nobody  else 
could  be  like  that." 

Lawson  nodded.  "  Still,"  he  said  slowly,  "  the 
German-Americans  are  responsible  for  whatever 
feeling  against  them  there  may  be.  They  have 
carried  on  an  outrageous  propaganda." 

"  The  subsidized  editors  and  professors  have,  and 
they  have  spilled  the  beans.  The  reaction  against  it 
among  Americans  of  German  descent  set  in  long 
ago." 

"  I  have  an  idea  that  you  are  right." 

"  I  know  it,  for  that  has  been  my  experience.  The 
propagandists  over-capitalized  the  blood  instinct.  It 
is  strong,  but  it  is  n't  fool  proof.  I  went  part  of 
the  distance  with  them,  but  there  came  a  time 
when  my  brain  got  the  better  of  my  heart.  Well, 
here  is  one  crowd,  .wanting  to  throw  me  out  of 
the  navy  because  I  was  born  in  Germany,  and  an- 
other crowd  putting  me  forward  for  the  same 
reason."  He  repeated  to  Neil  what  Senator  Marsh- 
field  had  told  him.  "  Why  can't  they  take  me  just 
as  I  am  ?  " 

104 


ADDED  ATTRACTION  —  MLLE.  FRALLI 

Neil's  eyes  blazed.  "  I  'd  like  to  serve  under  you 
in  the  navy,  Billy,"  he  said  warmly. 

"  That  is  good  of  you." 

"  But  I  could  n't  even  swab  a  deck  in  the  navy. 
The  truth  is,  this  war  has  caught  me  unprepared." 

"  You  think  we  shall  have  war?  " 

"  I  don't  see  how  it  can  be  avoided." 

"  I  agree  with  you." 

"Of  course,  I  want  to  do  something,"  Neil  went 
on.  "  I  look  around,  and  I  find  that  I  am  utterly 
stupid.  They  can  use  blacksmiths,  and  tinners,  and 
bakers,  and  policemen,  and  bricklayers,  and  a  cotton 
spinner  can  make  munitions,  but  I  don't  even  know 
how  to  dig  a  trench.  There  is  n't  a  drop  of  gas  in 
my  tank.  You  don't  know,  because  seamanship  is 
your  profession,  but  to  be  caught  like  this,  to  know 
that  your  country  needs  you,  and  that  you  are  soft 
and  flabby  and  downright  ignorant  of  anything  use- 
ful, and  to  want  to  go,  and  not  to  know  where  or 
how  to  go,  is  rotten,  just  plain  rotten.  I  happened 
to  think  of  the  aviation  corps.  I  went  up  in  a  hy- 
droplane at  a  summer  resort  one  time,  and  I  stretched 
that  aerial  flight  at  the  dizzy  altitude  of  eight  inches 
into  something  that  sounded  pretty  big.  I  can  run 
a  car,  and  so  I  got  in,  and  now  I  'm  going  to  begin 
training,  I  'm  going  to  start  locking  my  own  par- 
ticular stable  door." 

105 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  When  do  you  go?  " 

"  This  afternoon,  at  four." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  lose  you,  but  I  am  glad." 

"  Shall  you  be  here  long?  " 

"Haven't  the  remotest  idea  —  indefinitely." 

"  Where  are  you  stopping  ?  " 

"  My  club." 

"  \Vhy  don't  you  come  in  here?  I  am  going  to 
keep  it ;  no  telling  when  they  '11  be  bringing  me 
back  on  a  stretcher,  you  know.  You  can  have  it 
for  as  long  as  you  want,  and  when  you  go  away, 
simply  leave  the  key  with  the  janitor.  I  have  let  my 
man  go,  but  you  can  engage  the  janitor's  wife  to  look 
after  the  rooms.  You  used  to  play,  did  n't  you?  " 

"A  little,"  said  Billy;  "they  tried  to  make  me 
learn." 

"  Here  's  the  piano  and  a  barrel  of  music,  and 
books,  and  things,  why  not  make  yourself  at 
home?" 

"  I  can't  refuse,  Neil,  it  is  too  tempting." 

"  That  is  fine.  You  will  like  Washington.  Is 
this  your  first  visit  here?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  have  spent  nearly  my  whole  life  at  sea. 
How  do  you  happen  to  be  living  here,  Neil?" 

"  Father  left  me  a  little  something,  you  know, 
and  part  of  it  was  in  Washington  real  estate.  I 
came  down  to  look  after  the  property,  liked  the 

106 


ADDED  ATTRACTION  —  MLLE.  FRALLI 

place,  stayed  around,  made  some  friends,  and  now 
I  'm  a  regular.  It  is  hard  to  break  the  Washington 
habit  once  you  form  it." 

He  was  busy  with  his  bags.  Finally  everything 
was  packed,  and  they  went  out  together,  and  Billy 
went  with  Neil  to  the  station.  Lawson  had  insisted 
upon  leaving  his  car  for  him  to  use. 

Billy  drove  back  to  the  club  to  get  his  steamer 
trunk  and  bags.  He  threw  his  things  together  hur- 
riedly, and  coming  upon  a  small  black  leather  case,  as 
he  was  packing,  he  took  that  from  the  trunk  where 
he  had  found  it,  and  slipped  it  into  his  pocket. 

Then  he  returned  to  the  apartment,  settled  him- 
self, dressed,  and  went  out  to  dinner. 

Billy  had  met  Corrie  Winters  in  a  pith  helmet 
on  the  sun-stricken  quay  at  Aden,  without  feeling 
in  the  least  surprised  to  see  her  there,  and  he  had 
said  good  bye  to  her  in  Honolulu,  and  been  wel- 
comed, when  he  landed  at  the  dock  in  Nagasaki, 
by  her  smiling  face,  and  he  had  accepted  these 
things  as  part  of  the  well-ordered  scheme  of  the 
universe,  so  he  was  not  in  the  least  astonished,  when 
he  stepped  into  the  elevator,  to  find  her  beaming 
upon  him. 

"  Why,  Billy !  Where  in  the  world  have  you 
been?  "  she  wanted  to  know.  "  I  did  n't  know  that 
you  had  friends  in  the  Summit." 

107 


"  I  live  here,"  he  smiled. 

"Since  when,  pray?" 

"  Just  now." 

"  That 's  adorable.  So  do  I.  Have  a  charming 
little  apartment."  Her  taxi  was  waiting  at  the 
door.  "  You  '11  come  to  see  me  tomorow  evening?  " 

"  I  'm  afraid  I  have  half  an  engagement,"  he 
pleaded. 

"  Won't  do,  you  must  come." 

"  I  '11  let  you  know,  call  you  up  in  the  morning." 

"  Oh,"  she  said,  "  I  nearly  forgot  —  added  at- 
traction, Mile.  Fralli." 

"  I  'm  afraid  —  " 

"  I  shan't  take  no  for  an  answer,  and  besides, 
she's  adorable  —  and  she  wants  to  meet  you." 

"  Never  heard  of  her." 

"  She  has  heard  of  you." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  She  said  so." 

"French?" 

"H  — m!    Italian." 

"Well  — bridge?" 

"  Poker." 

"All  right." 

"  Good  bye." 

"  So  long,  Corrie." 


108 


CHAPTER    XI 

A    LITTLE    TRIP    TO    NAMASCHET 

"  I  think  I  shall  go  to  Namaschet,"  announced 
Mr.  Peters,  entering  Mr.  Monson's  room,  with  an 
eager  light  burning  in  his  small,  dark  eyes,  and  a 
sheaf  of  papers  in  his  hand. 

"Namaschet?    Oh,  yes,  I  remember." 

"  I  said  I  had  a  hunch." 

"  I  always  act  on  hunches,"  commented  Mr.  Mon- 
son ;  "  I  can't  get  over  having  been  a  police  re- 
porter." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Mr.  Peters. 

"  Anything  doing?  " 

"  Several  things.    Want  to  listen  ?  " 

"  Sure." 

"  I  have  found  out  something  about  Mrs.  Winters 
on  my  own  account ;  I  could  n't  wait  for  you." 

"  I  can't  do  half  the  big  things  that  demand  im- 
mediate attention,  let  alone  —  " 

"  Never  mind  that,  now,  read  this,"  interrupted 
Mr.  Peters.  He  laid  a  telegram  on  the  desk  in 
front  of  Mr.  Monson,  who  adjusted  his  spectacles, 

109 


MY   COUNTRY 

and  read  it  aloud  in  the  monotonous  voice  he  always 
used  : 

MRS.  RICHARD  BRAINERD  SABISTON, 
Namaschet,  Mass. 

Delighted  to  have  her. 

CORRIE  HARDING  WINTERS. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  that  ?  "  demanded  Mr. 
Peters,  his  eyes  snapping  with  enjoyment. 

"  Not  a  blamed  thing." 

"  Neither  do  I." 

"  It  does  n't  code  up  with  anything  you  have  ?  " 

"  It  is  merely  a  social  telegram." 

"  What  the  dickens  —  " 

"  Now  let 's  talk  for  a  moment  about  Hannibal  G. 
White.  He  has  been  receiving  telegrams,  in  code, 
at  Valparaiso.  I  have  a  file  of  them.  There  was 
one  from  Hong  Kong  that  interested  me."  Peters 
placed  a  slip  of  paper  in  front  of  Mr.  Monson,  who 
read: 

"  Sell  hundred  shares  Copiapo." 

"  That  suggested  something  to  me,"  Peters  con- 
tinued. "  You  will  remember  that  one  of  the  tele- 
grams sent  from  Washington  by  Mrs.  Winters  was 
to  a  Philadelphia  construction  company?" 

no 


A    LITTLE    TRIP    TO    NAMASCHET 

'  Yes,  the  lady  is  going  to  build  a  sky-scraper  in 
Hong  Kong,  or  you  eat  with  me." 

"  That 's  just  the  point,"  said  Peters,  fairly 
dancing,  "  do  you  see,  Hong  Kong!  " 

"  Humph !  Does  begin  to  look  interesting, 
doesn't  it?" 

"  I  'm  glad  your  mind  is  working." 

"  What  does  Hong  Kong  say?  " 

Peters  placed  another  slip  of  paper  before  Mr. 
Monson,  who  glanced  at  it.  It  read : 

"  Cable  filed  Prothero,  British  navy." 

"Humph!" 

"  Prothero,"  said  Peters,  "  is  attached  to  the 
Norwich,  Asiatic  Station.  I  have  notified  the  British 
branch  as  a  precaution,  but  it  is  n't  necessary." 

"  You  don't  think  your  case  is  hurt  ?  " 

"  Of  course  not.    Read  this  one." 

Mr.  Monson  read: 

"  Yes,  on  Winters." 

"  I  cabled  Hong  Kong  to  learn  if  Mrs.  Winters 
was  there  on  the  date  this  Valparaiso  cable  to  White 
was  sent.  This  is  the  answer.  Prothero  was  the 
messenger  boy.  How  these  navy  men  do  trail  after 
a  petticoat." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  Prothero  —  " 
in 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Why  did  God  give  me  an  imagination  ?  Mrs. 
Winters  is  using  an  arbitrary  code.  '  Sell  hundred 
shares  '  either  identifies  sender  or  refers  to  some 
person  or  thing.  The  last  word  conveys  the  infor- 
mation. Private  affair,  probably  used  by  two  people 
only,  and  for  but  one  particular  line  of  work,  what- 
ever that  may  be.  Hardest  kind  of  code  to  do  any- 
thing with.  So  I  am  going  to  Namaschet." 

"  How  does  Mrs.  Sabiston  come  in  ?  " 

"  Hannibal  White  is  her  broker.  She  sends  him 
orders  nearly  every  day,  and  receives  market 
reports." 

"  That  is  natural  enough,  he  is  a  broker,  is  n't 
he?" 

"Oh,  certainly!" 

"  And  Mrs.  Winters  —  " 

"  Within  a  few  hours  after  arriving  from  Hong 
Kong  she  is  in  touch  with  both  White  and  Mrs. 
Sabiston.  First  she  is  going  to  visit  the  lady  at 
Namaschet,  and  now  somebody  is  going  to  visit 
her.  Who  that  is  I  don't  know.  We  '11  have  to 
take  a  squint  at  her  mail." 

"  I  '11  attend  to  that,"  promised  Mr.  Monson. 

"  I  asked  Boston  for  a  report  on  Mrs.  Sabiston," 
Peters  went  on.  "  She  is  the  widow  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Sabiston  Company,  shoes,  Brockton. 
You've  heard  of  Sabiston  shoes?" 

112 


A    LITTLE    TRIP    TO    NAMASCHET 

"  I  have  on  a  pair,"  said  Monson. 

"  A  man  would  be  lucky  to  be  in  Mr.  Sabiston's 
shoes." 

"Why  so?" 

"  He  left  her  about  five  millions.  She  lives  on 
Commonwealth  avenue,  and  has  a  summer  home 
near  Namaschet,  a  place  called  '  Rock  Crest,'  one 
of  the  finest  estates  on  the  South  Shore,  forty-five 
acres,  and  a  house  that  cost  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  She  is  very  good  looking,  under  thirty  — 
married  Sabiston  when  he  was  sixty-three  and 
she  was  twenty-two  —  and  her  maiden  name  was 
Margaretha  Schoenleber." 

"A  German?" 

"  He  met  her  at  Wiesbaden  and  she  landed  him 
in  two  weeks." 

"  All  right,  go  on  to  Namaschet,  if  you  want  to." 

"  Thanks.  One  thing  more.  Here  's  a  telegram 
I  have  just  received  from  Boston :  '  Sabiston  adver- 
tising morning  papers  man  to  operate  motorboat.' ' 

"  Rather  unusual  season  for  motorboating  for 
pleasure,"  observed  Mr.  Monson.  "  Maybe  she  is 
going  to  join  the  coast  patrol,  and  apply  for  a 
commission  as  an  Admiral." 

"  Fortunately,"  said  Peters,  "  motorboating  is 
my  one  folly." 

"  I  should  imagine  she  would  n't  have  to  adver- 


MY   COUNTRY 

tise  for  a  man,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  after  thinking 
for  a  moment. 

"  That  occurred  to  me  instantly." 

"  She  should  be  able  to  pick  one  up  anywhere 
on  that  coast." 

"  The  answer  is  that  she  does  n't  want  local 
talent.  I  shall  apply  for  the  job." 

"  All  right,  good  luck." 

"  I  'm  leaving  this  afternoon,"  said  Peters.  "  I 
have  some  old  togs  that  will  just  fit  the  picture, 
and  I  shall  really  enjoy  it." 

Peters  had  brought  his  bag  to  the  office.  He 
finished  the  work  upon  which  he  was  engaged,  and 
took  an  early  train  for  New  York,  arriving  in 
Boston  a  few  minutes  before  nine  o'clock  the  next 
morning. 

It  was  his  first  visit  to  the  complacent  capital  of 
New  England,  and  the  psychology  of  the  vast 
throngs  of  people  pouring  slowly  through  the  gates, 
on  their  leisurely  way  to  work,  amazed  and  con- 
fused him,  for  Peters  was  from  the  West,  where 
folks  show  it  when  they  hurry.  Enormous  as  it 
was  in  its  smoky  hideousness,  the  South  Station 
was  congested  with  these  somnambulant  men  and 
women,  all  hustling  to  work  in  the  most  dignified 
manner  imaginable,  showing  the  nervousness  that 
was  consuming  them,  and  that  came  by  living  on 

114 


A    LITTLE    TRIP    TO    NAMASCHET 

a  diet  of  sugar  and  time-tables,  only  in  their  eyes 
and  complexions,  but  heroically  keeping  it  out  of 
their  gait,  and  all  of  them  so  dingy  and  crumpled 
and  sooty,  and  covered,  as  to  shoes  and  trousers, 
and  skirt-hems,  with  the  same  kind  of  fine,  black 
mud,  as  to  make  it  quite  impossible  to  distinguish 
a  bank  president  from  his  bookkeeper,  or  the  mother 
of  a  prosperous  family  from  her  cook.  Accustomed 
as  he  was  to  travelling,  everywhere,  and  under  all 
conditions,  Peters  was  disturbed  by  this  jam  of 
self-satisfied  humanity  that  long  lines  of  reeking 
trains  brought  from  their  homes  in  the  suburban 
towns  and  emptied  into  the  depot  in  an  endless 
stream,  everybody  with  a  little  yellow  bag  in  his 
hand,  and  nobody  caring  whether  the  clock  was 
fast  or  slow. 

A  man  who  found  pleasure  in  everything  he  did, 
Peters  looked  upon  this  scene  with  the  keenest  de- 
light. Many  of  the  faces  were  new  types  to  him, 
and  he  studied  them  eagerly. 

"  They  must  be  retired  business  men,"  he  thought, 
"  going  in  to  their  stores  and  offices  from  force  of 
habit,  and  not  because  they  have  to." 

The  concrete  platform  upon  which  he  was  slowly 
crawling  on  his  way  to  the  gate  being  choked  with 
people,  and  with  trucks  loaded  with  baggage  and 
freight,  and  the  opposite  one  nearly  deserted,  he 


MY  COUNTRY 

crossed  the  intervening  tracks,  in  order  to  make 
better  time.  A  few  people,  outward  bound,  were 
taking  a  train  then  ready  to  pull  out.  The  engineer 
was  in  his  cab,  the  conductor  at  the  last  car  had 
raised  his  hand.  Peters  saw  two  women  sprinting 
through  the  gate. 

"  They  must  be  strangers,"  thought  Peters ; 
"  they  don't  care  who  knows  they  are  in  a  hurry." 

A  porter,  with  a  suitcase  in  his  hand,  and  a  big 
leather  hat  box  under  his  arm,  was  struggling  to 
keep  up  with  them.  The  bell  rang,  the  wheels 
slipped  on  the  rails,  the  train  straightened  its  verte- 
brae. The  women  ran  like  deer,  their  white  spats 
twinkling,  their  skirts  flying.  Peters  stopped  to 
watch  them,  and  as  they  raced  abreast  the  train, 
now  getting  under  way,  he  shouted  to  them :  "  You 
can  make  it  —  I  '11  give  you  a  hand." 

He  took  the  arm  of  the  younger  of  the  two,  a  tall, 
graceful  girl,  with  an  oval  face  and  pale  com- 
plexion, and  a  great  mass  of  dark  hair  beneath  her 
black  spring  straw.  She  grasped  the  brass  rail, 
and  swung  aboard,  giving  Peters,  by  way  of  re- 
ward, a  nod  and  a  tantalizing  glimpse  of  black  silk 
hosiery.  The  gasping  porter  hurled  the  luggage 
upon  the  rear  platform,  and  Peters,  turning,  saw 
that  the  other  woman  was  not  going.  She  waved 
her  hand  to  the  dark-eyed  girl,  and  then  turned,  and 

116 


A    LITTLE    TRIP    TO    NAMASCHET 

walked  back  to  the  gate.  The  porter  was  slowly 
counting  a  dime  that  she  had  dropped  into  his  eager 
palm. 

"  The  more  these  Boston  women  has,  the  more 
they  holds  on  to  it,"  said  the  porter.  "  I  like  to 
broke  my  back,  and  look  what  I  gets." 

"  She  is  n't  a  Boston  woman,"  said  Peters.  "  She 
has  n't  got  the  complexion,  and  her  shoes  are  too 
clean." 

"  Yes  she  is,  too,"  said  the  porter,  "  that 's  Mrs. 
Sabiston." 

"  Sabiston  ?  "  said  Peters. 

"  You  ain't  from  Boston  yo'self,  or  you  'd  have 
known  her,"  commented  the  porter,  in  that  tone  of 
superiority  that  even  the  naturalized  Bostonian 
eventually  assumes. 

"  No,"  admitted  Peters,  "  what  Mrs.  Sabiston?  " 

"  The  Mrs.  Sabiston,  they  ain't  but  one,"  sniffed 
the  porter,  who  had  not  lost  his  corn-field  English 
in  the  process  of  picking  up  a  Back  Bay  accent. 
"  Lives  down  at  Namaschet,  mostly.  She  travels 
through  here  considerable,  but  that  don't  put  no  fat 
on  my  han'." 

"  What  train  was  that  ?  "  asked  Peters. 

"  The  one  that  lady  took?  That 's  the  New  York 
express." 

"  Well,  cheer  up,"  laughed  Peters,  giving  him  a 
117 


MY   COUNTRY 

quarter,  "you  don't  have  to  do  much  hurrying 
around  this  station.  This  place  reminds  me  of  Chi- 
cago —  it 's  so  different.  Why,  these  people  must 
have  an  engagement  somewhere  for  next  week/' 

;<  You  ought  to  see  'em  catching  the  5:15  this 
evening,  with  them  little  yellow  bags  full  of  bottles, 
and  in  the  summer  time,  man,  it 's  positively  hazard- 
ous around  here  afternoons,  dodging  goff  sticks." 

On  his  way  out  Peters  stopped  at  the  Western 
Union  office,  and  wired  a  description  of  the  dark- 
haired  girl  to  New  York.  A  fat  man  in  a  gray 
overcoat  picked  her  out  of  the  crowd  in  the  Grand 
Central.  He  trailed  her  across  town  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Station  and  stood  by  examining  a  time-table 
when  she  stepped  on  board  the  train  for  Washing- 
ton. Then  he  went  to  the  telegraph  office. 

At  the  Union  Station,  in  Washington,  a  man  with 
a  very  blank  face  and  a  large  black  mustache,  who 
looked  like  a  policeman  dressed  up,  watched  her  to 
her  taxi,  hired  another  when  she  had  gone,  and  fol- 
lowed her  out  Massachusetts  avenue,  and  into 
Seventeenth  street.  Half  an  hour  later  Mr.  Monson 
filed  away  for  future  reference  the  fact  that  Mrs. 
Sabiston's  friend,  five  feet  seven,  weight  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty,  hair  dark,  general  appearance  sty- 
lish, probably  Italian,  was  visiting  Mrs.  Winters,  at 
the  Summit.  Then  he  forgot  all  about  it. 

118 


A    LITTLE    TRIP    TO    NAMASCHET 

Peters,  leaving  the  telegraph  office,  changed  his 
clothes  at  a  hotel  across  the  street,  under  the  Ele- 
vated, checked  his  suitcase  at  the  baggage  room  in 
the  depot,  and  in  flannel  shirt,  corduroy  trousers, 
and  a  heavy  coat  that  had  seen  much  service,  took 
the  train  for  Namaschet. 

Two  hours  later  he  was  employed  by  Mrs.  Sabis- 
ton  to  run  her  motorboat,  at  thirty  dollars  a  month, 
and  board,  and  went  to  bed  that  night  in  an  unheated 
loft  over  a  small  boathouse  which  stood  in  a  clump 
of  pines  close  to  the  water's  edge.  He  had  preferred 
it  to  a  bed  in  the  butler's  room  in  the  servants'  quar- 
ters. He  shivered  as  he  pulled  off  his  clothes. 

"  This  must  be  Monson's  east  wind,"  he  said,  "  I 
feel  it  in  my  bones." 


119 


CHAPTER    XII 

A    VOICE    IN    THE   DARK 

Mrs.  Sabiston's  summer  home  was  just  across  the 
street  from  Europe. 

It  stood  on  a  rocky  promontory  facing  the  sea, 
which  beat  and  thundered  and  roared  at  her  door. 
She  could  step  from  her  bed  to  her  bath,  in  a  little 
cove  behind  a  line  of  ragged  reefs,  by  going  down 
a  path  through  her  flower  garden,  over  the  face  of 
the  cliff,  where  cement  steps  had  been  built  into  the 
solid  granite  when  they  could  not  be  carved  from 
the  living  stone. 

Every  morning  in  summer  she  took  her  dip  at 
six  o'clock  in  a  one-piece  silk  bathing  suit,  for  she 
enjoyed  the  privacy  of  Robinson  Crusoe.  No  house 
was  nearer  than  half  a  mile,  and  from  no  point  on 
the  shore  in  either  direction  could  the  cove  at  the 
foot  of  the  stairway  be  seen. 

The  house  had  been  built  by  her  husband  as  a 
wedding  gift,  and  the  architect  had  admirably  used, 
as  the  main  building,  the  old  house  which  had  stood 
there  since  1820.  This  was  of  solid  construction. 

1 20 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

The  walls  in  some  places  were  more  than  three  feet 
thick.  The  timbers  might  have  gone  into  a  bridge. 
It  was  flanked  on  either  side  by  an  enormous  brick 
chimney,  on  one  of  which  was  still  attached  the  old- 
fashioned  iron  lightning  rod  that  had  been  put  up 
nearly  a  hundred  years  before.  Around  the  old 
mansion  the  new  house  had  been  built.  It  would 
have  been  a  "  show  place,"  but  for  the  fact  that  on 
the  land  side  it  stood  back  so  far  from  the  main  road, 
that  ran  south  from  the  little  town  of  Namaschet, 
that  it  could  not  be  seen.  A  heavy  growth  of  natu- 
ral forest  trees,  some  of  them  of  such  age  that  they 
might  have  been  there  when  the  Pilgrims  landed, 
screened  it  from  the  view  of  passers-by.  A  private 
road,  barred  by  an  iron  fence,  led  through  the  trees 
to  the  house.  The  garage,  for  twelve  cars,  was  at 
the  back,  and  below  the  level  of  the  house;  and 
the  stables,  which  had  long  been  closed,  for 
Mrs.  Sabiston  kept  no  horses,  were  some  distance 
away. 

There  was  a  garden  at  the  right  of  the  house, 
full  of  old-fashioned  roses,  the  only  flowers  for 
which  Mrs.  Sabiston  cared,  and  a  large  kitchen  gar- 
den on  the  southern  slope  beyond  the  half-acre  of 
rose  bushes.  The  lawn  immediately  around  the 
house,  which  extended  in  front  to  the  edge  of  the 
cliff,  was  as  finely  kept  as  a  putting  green,  but  the 

121 


MY   COUNTRY 

rest  of  the  estate  was  a  primal  wilderness.  The  trees 
had  felt  no  pruning  knife.  The  deadfalls  were  never 
taken  up  and  burned. 

Where  the  lawn  ended  the  rocky  walls  of  the  cliff 
began.  Huge  masses  of  red  stone,  some  of  them 
larger  than  a  house,  seemed  to  have  been  thrown 
about  by  some  convulsion  of  nature.  The  sea  had 
been  pounding  upon  them  for  ages,  but  though  the 
grind  of  sand  had  been  ceaseless  the  promontory  re- 
mained unconquerable.  At  the  foot  of  the  cliff  were 
other  masses  of  the  same  red  granite,  some  of  it 
streaked  strangely  with  broad  stripes  of  bright 
yellow  and  black  stone.  Beyond  them  was  a  line 
of  reefs,  on  which  the  waves  pounded  at  high  water, 
sending  up  huge  and  fantastic  columns  of  white 
spray,  and  farther  out,  the  open  sea  in  all  its  thou- 
sand moods  and  shades. 

In  one  place  only  the  rocky  barrier  of  the  cliff  was 
broken.  Through  this  break  the  sea  had  found  a 
way  to  make  a  small  cove,  sheltered  on  the  outside 
by  a  long,  low  line  of  reefs,  some  of  which  showed 
their  sharp  heads  a  foot  or  two  above  water  even  on 
the  highest  tides.  Here  it  had  also  made  a  bit  of 
beach,  with  a  bottom  that  was  sometimes  sand, 
sometimes  small  stones,  rounded  and  polished  by 
the  waves.  Here  Mrs.  Sabiston  swam  in  summer, 
and  here,  the  morning  after  his  arrival,  Peters 

122 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

found  the  motorboat  of  which  he  was  to  be  the 
skipper. 

As  he  looked  out  to  sea  across  Massachusetts  Bay, 
deep  blue  under  a  cloudless  March  sky,  and  whipped 
to  foam  where  the  reefs  impeded  the  sweep  of 
billow,  he  thanked  his  stars  that  he  knew  something 
about  boats.  He  had  never  cruised  in  such  waters 
as  these,  his  excursions  having  been  confined  to  the 
Lakes,  when  he  had  lived  in  the  West,  and  to  Chesa- 
peake Bay,  when  he  had  removed  to  Washington. 

He  looked  at  the  boat,  fastened  to  a  buoy,  and  did 
not  think  much  of  her.  There  was  a  small  skiff 
hauled  up  at  the  head  of  the  cove,  and  finding  a  pair 
of  oars  in  the  boathouse,  he  went  out  and  looked 
her  over.  She  was  a  thirty-foot,  decked-over  dory 
of  about  six  feet  beam,  with  a  twelve  horse-power, 
two-cylinder,  two-cycle  engine,  forward  and  reverse 
clutch.  She  seemed  to  be  about  six  years  old.  She 
was  equipped  with  spray  hood,  cork  cushions  and 
oars.  She  improved  upon  inspection,  and  Peters 
imagined  she  would  be  very  seaworthy.  He  went 
back,  and  found  Mrs.  Sabiston  waiting  for  him  on 
the  beach. 

She  questioned  him  closely  about  his  skill,  and 
he  saw  that  she  knew  as  much  about  boats  as  he 
did  himself.  She  was  fond  of  the  sport,  and  his 
duties  would  be  to  take  her  out  whenever  she  de- 

123 


MY   COUNTRY 

sired  to  go.  She  had  whims  about  such  things,  and 
he  must  be  ready  when  she  wanted  him,  as  her 
fancies  to  go  outside  were  sudden.  For  this  reason 
he  must  remain  within  call  at  all  times.  She  would 
insist  upon  this,  and  if  he  did  not  care  to  hold  him- 
self in  readiness  he  might  go,  and  she  would  en- 
gage another  man,  several  having  applied  by  mail. 
Peters  said  he  would  keep  the  job.  He  was  inter- 
ested in  the  wages. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston,  "  you  must 
become  familiar  with  the  boat.  ,It  is  one  that  I 
bought  second-hand  and  I  want  you  to  see  what 
you  can  get  out  of  her.  It  is  useless  to  have  a 
good  boat  here,  as  it  is  likely  to  be  pounded  to 
pieces  any  night  in  a  storm.  Therefore  I  shall 
expect  you  to  take  care  that  it  is  securely  anchored 
and  fastened  to  the  buoy." 

Peters  was  sure  he  would  have  no  trouble.  He 
had  taken  care  of  boats  all  his  life. 

"  For  the  next  day  or  two,"  continued  Mrs. 
Sabiston,  "  you  had  better  familiarize  yourself  with 
it.  Take  it  outside  and  give  it  a  trial.  Watch  the 
engine,  and  if  there  is  anything  wrong  with  it  re- 
port to  me  and  I  will  have  a  mechanic  come  down 
from  Boston  to  repair  it."  She  spoke  with  a 
slight  German  accent,  so  slight  as  to  be  almost 
unnoticeable. 

124 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

<.• 

She  left  him,  with  no  further  instructions,  and 

Peters  watched  her  as  she  climbed  the  stone  stairs 
that  wound  up  the  face  of  the  cliff,  and  thought 
that  she  was  a  very  good-looking  woman. 

Margaretha  no  longer  spent  her  life  at  the  table. 
She  had  conquered  her  appetite,  just  in  time  to 
prevent  it  from  conquering  her,  and  eating,  from 
being  an  art,  had  become  a  science.  She  had  given 
up  food  entirely,  and  lived  on  vitamines  and  calo- 
ries, and  a  famous  dietitian,  who  had  become  in- 
terested in  her,  and  shown  her  the  way  to  health 
and  beauty,  prepared  all  her  menus.  She  had  a 
horror  of  the  heavy  stews  and  thick  soups,  the 
fried  food  and  sweetmeats,  of  her  childhood,  and 
ate  nothing  but  cereals,  with  butter  and  salt  in- 
stead of  sugar  and  cream,  and  vegetables.  Broiled 
chicken  and  lobster  were  the  only  meats  she  tasted. 
She  drank  no  coffee  or  tea,  and  although  her  cellar 
was  stocked  with  wines,  and  her  husband's  favorite 
liquors,  they  were  enjoyed  only  by  her  guests.  At 
thirty  she  had  the  figure  of  a  high-school  girl  and 
the  complexion  of  a  baby,  a  pink  and  white  skin, 
as  soft  as  velvet.  Her  corn-silk  hair  had  ripened, 
and  there  was  a  tawny  tinge  in  it,  as  though  the 
sun  had  burned  it. 

She  made  such  a  pretty  figure  on  the  stairway, 
with  the  wind  whipping  her  skirts  about  her  neat 

125 


MY   COUNTRY 

ankles,  that  Peters  lingered  until  she  was  gone. 
Then  he  ran  to  the  boathouse,  got  his  coat  and  an 
old  sou'wester  that  he  had  seen  there,  rowed  out 
to  the  motorboat,  and  tried  the  engine.  It  was  in 
perfect  condition.  Feeling  his  way  slowly,  he  made 
out  the  channel,  and  so  got  clear  of  the  reefs.  It 
was  rough  outside,  and  he  was  not  quite  sure  of 
himself,  at  first,  but  confidence  soon  came  to  him, 
and  after  the  first  trial  he  enjoyed  himself  as  though 
he  were  on  a  vacation.  In  a  few  days  he  had 
learned  all  about  the  dory,  and  he  reported  to  Mrs. 
Sabiston  that  she  seemed  an  admirable  boat  in 
every  way,  being  tight  and  dry. 

"  I  shall  try  her  myself,"  said  Margaretha. 

"  When  do  you  wish  to  go  out?  " 

"  At  once.    Bring  her  in,  and  I  will  go  aboard." 

Peters  brought  the  dory  in,  running  her  along- 
side an  enormous  flat  rock,  a  natural  wharf,  where 
Mrs.  Sabiston  assured  him  there  was  plenty  of 
water  on  all  tides. 

She  stepped  aboard,  and  took  a  seat  in  the  stern, 
muffled  to  her  pink  ears  in  a  big  motor  coat.  There 
was  not  much  wind,  but  the  air  had  a  sting  in  it 
to  which  Peters,  fresh  from  the  South,  was  not 
accustomed. 

"Do  you  see  that  pinnacle  of  rock?"  asked 
Margaretha,  pointing. 

126 


A    VOICE    ;N    THE    DARK 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"  Get  your  bearings  by  sighting  the  south  chim- 
ney over  that  steeple.  Have  you  got  them?  Then 
go  straight  out  to  sea  five  miles,"  she  said.  "  That 
is  your  course." 

Every  day,  for  a  week,  after  that,  Peters  took 
Mrs.  Sabiston  out,  five  miles,  straight  to  sea,  never 
more,  never  less,  but  five  nautical  miles,  exactly. 
Attached  to  the  bulkhead  forward  was  a  small 
"  log  "  of  brass  and  glass,  that  looked  very  much 
like  an  ordinary  thermometer.  Her  eye  on  the 
indicator,  Mrs.  Sabiston  noted  the  speed,  and  from 
this  calculated  the  distance  covered  from  the  big 
reef  that  lay  directly  beneath  the  Colonial  portico 
of  the  house  on  the  cliff.  Having  gone  five  miles 
Peters  would  be  ordered  to  stop  the  engine  and 
they  would  drift  until  the  order  was  given  to  re- 
turn; and  always,  as  they  started  back,  the  huge 
chimney  over  the  pinnacle  of  red  granite  would  be 
dead  ahead.  A  pair  of  binoculars  lay  at  hand  in  the 
stern-sheets,  but  on  clear  days  they  were  not  needed. 

"  You  are  learning  very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Sabis- 
ton, evidently  much  pleased,  as  she  started  up  the 
stairs  one  day  after  returning  from  one  of  these 
excursions. 

"  So,"  thought  Peters,  "  I  'm  learning  something. 
I  wonder  what  the  deuce  it  is?  " 

127 


MY   COUNTRY 

He  had  been  confined  so  closely  to  the  boat  since 
his  arrival  that  he  had  learned  very  little  about  the 
house  or  its  occupants.  That  Mrs.  Sabiston  was 
not  alone  was  evident.  At  night  he  saw  reflections 
against  the  window  shades,  but  whoever  the  guests 
were  they  did  not  show  themselves  in  the  day; 
and  being  employed  wholly  in  connection  with  the 
motorboat,  and  living  as  he  did  at  the  boathouse, 
Peters  found  no  opportunity  to  enter  the  house. 
His  meals  were  served  to  him  at  the  boathouse, 
where  after  the  first  day  a  fire  was  made  for  him 
in  a  rusty  old  stove  that  apparently  had  not  been 
used  for  years.  His  bedroom  in  the  loft  above  re- 
mained unheated,  but  Mrs.  Sabiston  sent  down  to 
him  a  supply  of  thick  blankets,  and  he  managed  to 
be  comfortable  at  night. 

The  servants  who  brought  his  meals  to  him  were 
German,  and  he  soon  came  to  understand  that  none 
but  Germans  were  employed.  Thinking  it  wise  to 
conceal  the  fact  that  he  spoke  that  language,  he 
asked  no  questions.  He  hoped  that  some  day  Mrs. 
Sabiston,  unsuspecting  his  acquaintance  with  her 
mother  tongue,  might  say  something  in  his  presence 
that  would  give  him  a  lead,  but  on  the  trips  with 
him  she  invariably  went  alone. 

Mrs.  Sabiston  did  not  care  for  horses,  and  had 
sold  the  stable  that  her  husband  had  owned  at  his 

128 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

death.  But  she  was  inordinately  fond  of  dogs,  and 
had  four,  which  Peters  thought  were  the  hand- 
somest he  had  ever  seen. 

Her  favorite  was  an  English  pointer,  a  thorough- 
bred, groomed  like  a  woman,  slender  of  build,  deli- 
cate, and  as  high-strung  as  a  racehorse.  His  name 
was  Bruno,  and  he  accompanied  Mrs.  Sabiston 
everywhere.  Around  his  neck  he  wore  for  a  collar 
a  heavy  gold-linked  band,  like  a  woman's  bracelet. 
In  the  gold  lock  which  fastened  it  was  set  a  dia- 
mond. The  other  dogs  were  Danes,  heavy,  fero- 
cious-looking beasts  with  tawny  hides  and  mouths 
like  steel  traps.  These  stayed  in  the  stable  all  day, 
and  were  turned  into  the  grounds  at  night;  and 
Peters  could  hear  them,  when  he  had  gone  to  bed, 
sniffing  at  the  door  of  the  boathouse. 

Peters  was  fond  of  dogs,  and  owned  a  setter 
that  accompanied  him  on  all  his  motorboat  trips 
down  the  Potomac,  when  he  would  get  a  bit  of 
vacation  and  go  away  for  a  few  days.  Whether 
because  his  clothes  bore  the  canine  odor  of  his  four- 
footed  companion,  or  because  he  sensed  in  him  a 
man  who  knew  and  understood  dogs,  Bruno 
quickly  took  a  fancy  to  him.  The  pointer  slept  in 
the  house  at  night,  but  always  looked  Peters  up 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  went  with  him 
in  the  motorboat,  even  when  he  sailed  out  alone, 

129 


MY   COUNTRY 

as  Mrs.  Sabiston  made  him  do,  every  day,  to  cover 
the  course  she  had  laid  down  for  him.  The  dog 
was  an  affectionate  animal  and  seemed  unhappy 
when  he  could  not  have  his  head  in  some  human 
being's  lap.  He  would  lie  at  Peters'  feet,  asleep, 
on  his  coat,  for  the  weather  had  suddenly  become 
much  milder,  and  the  sou'wester  was  no  longer 
needed  as  extra  covering. 

One  day,  when  Mrs.  Sabiston  informed  him  that 
she  would  not  desire  to  go  out  with  him,  Peters 
tuned  the  engine  up,  and  tried  it  out  for  speed. 
He  ran  down  the  coast,  keeping  a  mile  or  two  off 
shore,  and  finding  a  little  harbor  unexpectedly 
breaking  through  the  sand  dunes,  made  a  landing 
at  Scituate,  where  he  laid  in  a  supply  of  tobacco. 
He  spent  half  an  hour  in  the  sleepy  little  town,  and 
before  he  left,  happening  to  think  of  Monson,  wrote 
him  a  note,  in  which  he  recounted  briefly  the  un- 
eventful experiences  of  his  new  employment.  Then 
he  chugged  back,  found  his  bearings,  and  navigated 
the  reefs  by  twilight,  which  made  him  quite  proud 
of  himself,  for  it  was  the  most  treacherous  looking 
water  he  had  ever  sailed  in. 

Bruno  had  been  turned  out  on  the  lawn,  for 
his  evening's  exercise,  and  Peters  could  hear  him 
barking  at  the  top  of  the  cliff.  He  went  into  the 
boathouse,  started  the  fire,  and  sat  down  to  his 

130 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

supper,  which  had  been  left  for  him,  when  he  heard 
the  grunts  of  a  heavy-breathing  animal  at  the  door, 
and  the  pawing  of  sharp  claws.  He  tip-toed  across 
the  room,  and  looking  through  the  window,  saw 
two  of  the  Danes  rolling  and  tumbling  about  in 
the  sand,  at  play.  The  third  was  evidently  smell- 
ing at  his  door.  As  he  looked  Bruno  bounded 
into  view,  and  the  dog  at  the  door  went  over  and 
wished  him  good  evening,  dog  style.  Peters 
whistled,  and  Bruno  pricked  up  his  ears.  He 
opened  the  door  a  crack,  and  Bruno  came 
jumping  joyously  toward  him.  The  Dane  looked, 
and  his  ears  went  back.  Then  he  began  walking 
slowly  toward  him.  Peters  had  on  the  old  sou'- 
wester which  was  Bruno's  favorite  bed  when 
they  went  out  to  sea  together,  and  to  this  fact  he 
probably  owed  his  life,  for  coming  to  a  desperate 
resolve  very  suddenly,  although  not  in  the  least 
underestimating  the  ferocity  or  fidelity  of  the 
Dane  dogs,  Peters  opened  the  door  of  the  boat- 
house,  sat  down  upon  the  sill,  and  pulled  Bruno 
into  his  lap.  The  Dane  watched  him,  uttering 
not  a  sound.  The  other  two  were  busy  with  their 
sport. 

Peters  pulled  Bruno's  ears,  and  scratched  his 
head,  but  he  kept  his  eye  on  the  Dane,  who  came 
toward  him  suspiciously,  his  tail  stiff.  He  was  wise 


MY   COUNTRY 

enough  to  make  no  move,  to  speak  no  word.  He 
understood  dogs,  and  he  knew  what  this  one  could 
do  to  him.  The  Dane  came  on,  and  neither  barked 
nor  growled,  and  Peters  could  smell  its  fetid  breath, 
hot,  reeking  of  raw  meat.  He  did  not  move,  and 
the  Dane  stopped,  and  sniffed  at  the  old  sou'wester 
that  he  wore.  He  sniffed  at  Peters'  hand,  that  had 
been  caressing  Bruno's  glossy  skin.  He  smelled 
Peters'  trousers,  where  the  setter  had  rubbed  him- 
self a  hundred  times.  Peters  put  out  his  hand  boldly, 
unhesitatingly,  as  a  man  does  who  knows  that  be- 
tween him  and  dogs  there  is  a  bond  of  sympathy 
and  understanding.  He  scratched  the  great  Dane's 
ears,  and  massaged  the  folds  of  skin  at  the  base  of 
the  skull.  The  huge  beast  rolled  over,  and  Peters 
ran  his  hand  across  the  powerful  muscles  of  his 
breast,  and  dug  his  fingers  into  his  ribs.  The  other 
two  Danes  came  up,  and  seeing  that  everything  was 
quite  all  right,  laid  down  a  little  distance  away. 
Peters  spoke  to  them  the  language  he  had  learned 
from  dogs. 

Presently  there  came  a  whistle  from  the  house, 
and  Bruno  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  stood  listen- 
ing. There  came  another  whistle,  and  he  stretched 
himself.  The  whistle  was  repeated,  long  and  clear, 
and  Bruno  bounded  away.  The  Danes  looked 
at  him,  blinking,  but  did  not  follow,  and  Peters, 

132 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

stretching  forth  his  hand  in  the  darkness,  pulled  the 
monster  nearest  him  by  the  ears,  and  rubbed  its 
backbone  with  his  knuckles.  He  stood  up,  and  the 
dog  rose  lazily  to  his  feet.  He  spoke,  and  walked 
down  the  beach  toward  the  stairs  that  led  up  the  side 
of  the  cliff.  The  Dane  looked  at  him,  then  joined 
him,  marching  by  his  side,  and  Peters  gave  a  great 
sigh  of  contentment. 

Every  night,  after  that,  the  dogs  came  to  him,  and 
he  made  friends  with  them,  and  fed  them.  Every 
night  he  walked  with  them  to  the  foot  of  the  stone 
stairway,  and  each  night  he  went  up  that  stairway  a 
little  farther,  a  step  or  two  at  a  time.  Finally  the 
night  came,  when  he  stepped  out  upon  the  soft  lawn 
at  the  summit  of  the  cliff,  already  soggy  and  yield- 
ing to  the  feet,  for  the  frost  was  going  out  of  the 
ground.  The  dogs  were  with  him.  He  walked  up 
and  down  by  the  rose  garden,  keeping  out  of  sight 
of  the  house,  although  the  night  was  dark,  for  the 
moon  was  in  its  infancy. 

Thereafter  at  night  he  walked  more  boldly  about 
the  grounds,  always  accompanied  by  the  dogs,  and 
wearing  an  old  pair  of  tennis  shoes  that  he  had 
found  in  the  boathouse.  At  last  the  night  came  when 
he  dared  approach  the  house.  He  walked  softly 
upon  the  wide  veranda,  and  peered  through  the  win- 
dow. On  the  hearth  the  embers  of  a  dying  fire  were 

133 


MY   COUNTRY 

glowing.  They  made  a  soft,  shadowy  light,  by 
which  he  made  out  that  the  room  was  either  a  library 
or  a  living  room.  There  was  a  deep  divan  by  the 
fireplace,  and  a  table,  with  a  lamp  and  books  upon 
it,  at  its  back.  The  rest  of  the  room  was  shrouded 
in  impenetrable  gloom.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
piazza  the  shutters  were  closed,  and  he  could  see 
nothing.  He  walked  around  the  house,  the  dogs  at 
his  heels,  and  then,  it  being  after  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  he  turned  in,  the  dogs  accompanying  him 
to  the  door  of  the  boathouse. 

Mrs.  Sabiston  had  planned  to  go  out  with  him  at 
ten  o'clock  the  following  morning,  and  he  was  ready 
at  the  hour,  but  she  did  not  come.  He  waited,  the 
boat  in  readiness,  but  noon  came,  and  she  had  not 
arrived.  Mindful  of  his  instructions,  he  waited  on 
the  beach,  walking  up  and  down  from  the  boathouse 
to  the  stairway,  to  keep  himself  warm.  At  one 
o'clock  she  appeared.  He  brought  the  dory  in,  and 
helped  her  aboard.  As  he  was  pushing  off  he  saw 
a  maid,  in  black  dress  and  white  cap,  running  down 
the  stairway.  She  was  calling,  but  her  voice  was 
lost  in  the  pounding  of  the  surf  against  the  rocks, 
for  the  tide  was  high.  He  told  Mrs.  Sabiston,  and 
they  waited.  The  girl  came  up  breathlessly,  and 
Mrs.  Sabiston  leaned  over  the  rail  and  took  the  tele- 
gram the  servant  handed  to  her.  She  read  it,  and 

134 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

said  in  German :  "  I  shall  be  back  in  time,"  and  then 
gave  Peters  the  order  to  shove  off. 

They  shipped  a  little  water  passing  the  reefs,  and 
there  was  nothing  to  bail  it  out  with.  She  called 
him  to  account  for  this,  and  he  promised  to  see  that 
it  would  not  happen  again.  She  went  forward  to 
the  "  log,"  the  wind  tearing  at  her  coat,  and  while 
steadying  herself  as  she  tried  to  fasten  it  more 
closely  the  telegram,  which  she  still  held  in  her  hand, 
blew  away.  Peters  watched  it,  his  heart  in  his 
mouth.  He  stifled  an  exultant  shout  when  it  flut- 
tered down  almost  at  his  feet.  His  anxious  eye 
upon  it,  he  saw  it  rest  lightly  upon  the  water  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat.  Gradually  it  became  soaked 
and  soggy.  Mrs.  Sabiston  made  no  search  for  it, 
and  Peters  saw  with  satisfaction  that  it  was  now  too 
wet  and  heavy  to  blow  away. 

They  covered  the  five-mile  course,  drifted  about 
ten  minutes  or  so,  got  their  bearings  by  the  chimney 
over  the  granite  steeple,  and  started  back,  Mrs. 
Sabiston  smiling  to  herself  all  the  way. 

Peters  busied  himself  about  the  boat,  and  when 
she  had  disappeared  over  the  top  of  the  cliff,  his 
hand  closed  over  the  telegram,  and  he  rolled  it  into 
a  ball  in  his  palm,  and  took  it  to  the  boathouse. 
There,  by  the  fire,  .he  dried  it,  smoothed  it  out,  and 
examined  it  anxiously.  The  ink  was  blurred,  but 

135 


MY   COUNTRY 

the  message  could  be  made  out.     He  read  it  softly 
to  himself : 

Missed   connection   New   York,   arrive   Na- 
maschet  5:10. 

CORRIE  HARDING  WINTERS. 

Peters  chuckled.  He  very  much  desired  to  see 
the  lady  who  had  been  in  Hong  Kong  when  one 
Prothero,  of  the  British  navy,  had  sent  a  cablegram 
to  Mr.  Hannibal  G.  White,  in  Valparaiso,  and  who 
had  herself  sent  telegrams  to  the  same  Mr.  White 
in  New  York.  How  to  manage  it  was  another  ques- 
tion. He  doubted  very  much  whether  Mrs.  Sabis- 
ton  would  take  her  out  with  them  in  the  motorboat, 
for  there  were  evidently  other  guests  in  the  house, 
who  had  not  accompanied  their  hostess,  on  any  of 
her  trips  to  sea. 

"  I  shall  have  to  get  into  the  house,"  said  Peters 
to  himself,  "  and  I  may  as  well  try  it  tonight." 

He  ran  up  to  his  loft,  and  felt  under  the  mattress 
to  make  sure  that  his  automatic  was  where  he  had 
put  it,  and  after  idling  away  the  early  part  of  the 
evening,  huddled  over  his  stove,  he  slipped  the  gun 
into  his  pocket  at  midnight,  and  a  few  minutes 
later  climbed  the  stairway,  and  came  out  upon 
Mrs.  Sabiston's  lawn. 

Great  was  his  astonishment  to  find  the  house,  that 
136 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

had  always  been  dark  at  this  hour,  showing  a  bril- 
liant light  in  a  window  on  the  top  floor  immediately 
above  the  south  end  of  the  piazza,  the  last  window, 
toward  the  south,  of  the  main  house. 

"  That,"  said  Peters,  to  himself,  stroking  the 
ears  of  one  of  the  Danes  that  had  come  out  to  meet 
him,  "  is  about  the  most  brilliant  thing  in  the  way 
of  a  light  that  I  have  ever  seen." 

He  kept  in  the  shadows  of  a  clump  of  cedars.  As 
he  looked  the  light  suddenly  went  out,  and  he  was 
about  to  move  forward,  when  it  flashed  forth  again. 
He  shrank  back  into  the  trees,  and  waited.  The 
light  disappeared,  and  was  not  turned  on  again. 
He  stood  there,  straining  his  eyes  at  the  window, 
and  the  night  seemed  a  deeper  black  than  it  had  been 
before.  As  he  watched  he  saw  a  spark  play  up  and 
down  the  lightning  rod  that  surmounted  the  north 
chimney.  It  fascinated  him. 

Keeping  in  the  shadows  of  the  trees  and  shrub- 
bery of  the  rose  garden,  he  worked  his  way  to  the 
rear  of  the  house. 

From  where  he  had  stood  before  the  sky-line  was 
obscured  by  the  dense  woods. 

Now  he  could  see,  between  the  two  chimneys, 
over  the  house  top,  a  bright  expanse  of  clear,  open 
sky.  Against  this  background  the  web  of  a  wireless 
stood  out  faintly,  the  wires  strung  between  the  chim- 

137 


MY   COUNTRY 

neys.  As  he  assured  himself  of  this  the  spark  ap- 
peared again,  a  tongue  of  bluish  flame,  playing  up 
and  down  along  the  lightning  rod. 

"  They  forgot  about  the  induction  from  that  light- 
ning rod,"  said  Peters,  chuckling  softly.  "  Portable 
radio,  put  up  at  night  and  taken  down  before  dawn. 
Very  clever,  if  they  had  n't  forgotten  about  that 
lightning  rod.  Bad  insulation,  and  I  saw  the  spark. 
The  smartest  of  them  slip  up  sometime." 

He  became  aware  now  that,  whereas  the  rest  of 
the  house  was  in  darkness,  the  middle  room  on  the 
second  story  of  the  old  building  was  lighted,  as  was 
one  back  room  in  the  north  wing. 

"  In  one  or  the  other  of  those  rooms,"  whispered 
Peters  to  himself,  "  somebody  is  sending  a  radio- 
gram, and  somehow  or  other  I  must  take  a  good  look 
at  him." 

He  cursed  the  stupidity  which  had  led  him,  be- 
cause of  his  aversion  to  sleeping  in  the  room  with 
another  person,  to  choose  a  bedroom  in  the  boathouse 
loft.  But  for  that,  he  reflected,  he  would  be  in  the 
servants'  quarters,  from  which  he  might  make  his 
way  into  other  parts  of  the  house,  upstairs. 

"  And  on  the  other  hand,"  he  added,  "  if  I  had 
been  indoors  tonight  that  spark  would  have  sputtered 
without  my  having  seen  it." 

This  thought  made  him  feel  a  little  better.  The 
138 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

lighted  room  in  the  old  building  was  directly  above 
the  back  portico.  A  rose  trellis  at  one  side  of  this 
gave  him  an  idea.  He  tried  it,  and  found  it  of  heavy 
wire.  It  was  attached  at  the  top  to  the  cornice  of 
the  portico.  Peters  put  his  weight  on  it,  it  held 
him,  and  he  began  to  climb.  He  reached  the  roof, 
pulled  himself  over  the  edge,  and  on  his  belly  wrig- 
gled toward  the  window.  The  shade  was  pulled 
down  to  within  an  inch  of  the  bottom  window  frame, 
and  putting  his  eye  at  this  narrow  crack  of  light, 
he  looked  into  the  room. 

At  a  table  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  sat  a  heavy- 
featured  German,  with  a  brown  mustache.  Over  his 
head  was  a  metallic  harness,  and  his  ears  were  cov- 
ered with  two  hard,  round  black  rubber  disks. 

"  Receiving,"  said  Peters  to  himself,  impressing 
the  man's  picture  upon  his  memory.  As  he  looked 
the  man  reached  forward,  and  while  Peters  could 
not  see  the  instruments  he  knew  were  there,  the  un- 
mistakable "wh-r-r-r-r!  wh-r-r-r-r!"  of  the  wire- 
less came  to  his  straining  ears. 

"  Sending,"  commented  Peters,  and  slid  softly  to 
the  edge  of  the  portico  roof.  He  lowered  himself 
to  the  ground.  Followed  by  the  dogs,  he  crept  back 
until  he  was  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees,  and  then 
worked  his  way  around  through  the  rose  garden, 
until  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  stairs.  He  wanted 

139 


MY   COUNTRY 

to  go  back  to  the  boathouse,  and  think.  As  he  started 
down  the  steps  one  of  the  dogs  raised  its  head,  and 
drew  its  lips  over  its  fangs. 

"  They  're  on  the  job,"  thought  Peters,  "  but  they 
don't  advertise  it."  Creeping  back  he  peered  across 
the  lawn,  and  in  the  dim  light  of  the  stars  he  saw 
the  figure  of  a  woman,  coming  toward  him  from  the 
house. 

Reckless  then  in  his  haste  he  threw  himself  down 
the  stairway,  for  the  slim,  alert  figure  was  that  of 
Mrs.  Sabiston.  He  reached  the  bottom  bruised  and 
sore,  ran  to  the  boathouse,  keeping  as  far  under  the 
cliff  as  he  could,  and  was  on  his  bed,  in  the  loft, 
when  he  heard  her  calling  to  him,  and  throwing 
rocks  at  the  door.  Presently  he  arose,  stamped 
down  the  steps,  and  unfastened  the  door,  and 
stood  there  looking  at  her  in  bewilderment,  rubbing 
his  eyes. 

"  What  is  it,  madam  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  am  nervous  tonight,  and  can't  sleep,"  replied 
Mrs.  Sabiston.  "  I  should  like  to  go  out  in  the 
motorboat." 

"When,  madam?" 

"  At  once." 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"  Come,  then.  You  have  your  overcoat  on,"  she 
added  suspiciously. 

140 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

"  I  have  been  sleeping  in  my  clothes,"  said  Peters. 
"  It  is  very  cold." 

Mrs.  Sabiston  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  sleep- 
ing in  one's  clothes. 

"  She  is  excited,"  thought  Peters.  "  I  wonder 
what 's  up  ?  " 

"  Please  be  quick,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston. 

He  followed  her  to  the  flat  rock,  and  she  lighted 
his  way  with  an  electric  flash  of  strong  power  that 
she  took  from  the  pocket  of  her  coat,  while  he  found 
the  skiff,  rowed  out  to  the  dory,  and  brought  it  in. 
As  soon  as  its  gunwale  scraped  against  the  stone  she 
stepped  aboard. 

He  looked  at  her  inquiringly. 

"  Five  miles,  straight  out  to  sea,"  she  said. 

"  Yes,  madam." 

"  The  same  course." 

"  I  understand,  madam." 

"  You  take  the  wheel." 

Peters  started  the  engine,  and  went  aft,  and  Mrs. 
Sabiston  stood  in  the  bow  and  turned  her  pocket 
searchlight  on  the  reefs  ahead.  It  was  low  water, 
and  they  showed  plainly. 

"  You  will  take  your  bearings  by  the  south  chim- 
ney and  the  pinnacle  rock,"  she  said. 

"  In  the  dark?  " 

"  Certainly." 


MY   COUNTRY 

Peters  turned,  and  as  he  looked  back  over  his 
wake,  there  suddenly  shone  out  in  the  south  window 
the  brilliant  white  light  he  had  seen  there  an  hour 
before.  Looking  full  into  it  now  he  judged 
that  it  was  a  calcium,  with  a  powerful  reflector. 
It  flooded  the  red  granite  steeple  in  a  radiant  bath 
that  made  it  stand  out  like  a  sentinel  against  the 
night. 

"  The  light,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston,  "  is  almost 
directly  beneath  the  chimney.  Hold  her  dead  ahead, 
about  ten  miles  an  hour." 

"  Aye,  aye,  madam." 

Mrs.  Sabiston  turned  her  pocket  flashlight  on  the 
"  log,"  and  studied  the  indicator.  It  was  a  dark, 
heavy  night.  The  wind  was  light,  and  getting  into 
the  east.  The  sea  was  calm.  Peters  kept  his  eyes 
on  his  bearings  and  was  beginning  to  think  that 
they  had  covered  the  course,  when  Mrs.  Sabiston, 
looking  up  quickly  from  the  indicator  of  the  "  log," 
called  to  him  sharply,  "  Way  enough !  ",  and  swept 
the  water  around  them  with  her  light. 

Peters  stopped  the  engine,  and  got  upon  his  feet, 
and  then,  for  the  first  time,  saw  lying  dead  over  the 
bow  a  low,  black  hulk,  shadowy  and  indistinct.  Mrs. 
Sabiston's  light  found  it,  and  then  she  snapped  it  off. 
A  man's  voice  hailed  cheerily  in  German : 

"  Wie  geht  's!  " 

142 


A    VOICE    IN    THE    DARK 

"  How  do  you  do,"  answered  Mrs.  Sabiston,  in 
English. 

The  dory,  drifting  slowly  under  her  headway, 
now  grated  upon  the  black  hulk,  which  Peters  made 
out  to  be  a  submarine. 

Her  stern  swung  around,  and  the  two  boats  were 
sucked  together  by  the  tide  and  lay  quietly  length 
to  length. 

On  the  U-boat's  deck  stood  a  little  group  of  men. 
Two  of  them  came  to  the  side,  and  grasped  the  dory 
with  boathooks.  A  third  shook  hands  in  the  dark- 
ness with  somebody  at  his  back,  and  then  stepped 
into  the  motorboat 

He  greeted  Mrs.  Sabiston  warmly  and  they  whis- 
pered a  few  words  together. 

As  the  man  came  aboard  the  bow  of  the  dory 
swung  off,  and  as  the  stern  now  came  around, 
Peters  was  suddenly  seized  under  the  arms,  and 
hauled  up  the  sloping  deck  of  the  submarine. 

He  struggled  to  free  himself,  to  get  at  his  gun, 
but  two  other  men  grasped  him  by  the  knees,  trip- 
ping him  up,  and  he  felt  himself  being  lowered  down 
a  companion-way. 

He  heard  a  man  outside  say  in  English,  "  Let  me 
take  the  helm,  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  and  her  fresh,  silvery 
voice  calling  from  the  darkness, 

"  Gott  befohlen!    Auf  Wiedersehen!  " 
-143 


MY   COUNTRY 

There  was  the  purr  of  a  motor,  the  undersea  boat 
began  submerging,  and  turned  its  nose  toward  the 
German  submarine  base  at  Caribou  Island,  on  the 
Maine  coast. 

"  The  smartest  of  them,"  said  Mr.  Peters  to  him- 
self reminiscently,  "  slip  up  sometime." 


144 


CHAPTER    XIII 

CORRIE   GIVES    A    PARTY 

Corrie  Winters  was  a  bird  of  passage,  but  when 
she  did  light  she  insisted  upon  having  an  attractive 
nest.  Where  she  abided  permanently,  and  two 
months  in  any  town  made  her  regard  herself  as  one 
of  the  oldest  inhabitants,  she  built  a  bower. 

She  owned  little  furniture,  preferring  to  sell  such 
things  when  she  was  through  with  them,  with  a 
view  to  buying  new  ones  when  she  should  require 
them  again.  She  could  fly  into  a  strange  city,  any- 
where in  the  world,  in  the  morning,  purchase  some 
wicker  tables  and  chairs,  a  big,  deep  divan,  to  fit 
her  velvet  cushions,  and  a  small  brass  bed,  and  by 
evening  transform  a  bare  apartment  into  a  charm- 
ing retreat.  The  possessions  upon  which  she  prided 
herself,  and  which  she  had  been  accumulating  all 
over  the  earth  for  years,  consisted  almost  wholly 
of  rugs,  draperies,  and  silverware. 

When  she  became  finally  settled  her  walls  would 
be  hung  with  rare  Chinese  embroideries  and  Japa- 
nese and  Indian  silks,  picked  up  with  discriminat- 
es 


MY   COUNTRY 

ing  taste  in  the  Orient,  her  floors  would  be  covered 
with  the  richest  treasures  of  Turkey  and  Persia. 
Her  lamp  shades  were  invariably  selected  with  care- 
ful regard  for  their  effect  upon  her  complexion,  and 
she  always  wore  gowns,  of  her  own  designing,  that 
harmonized  with  her  surroundings. 

Innumerable  photographs,  in  gold  and  silver 
frames,  stood  about  in  her  rooms,  most  of  them  of 
men.  The  same  instinct  prompted  their  display  as 
leads  a  sportsman  to  hang  above  his  fireplace  the 
head  of  a  moose.  They  were  her  trophies  of  the 
chase. 

To  spend  an  evening  with  Mrs.  Winters  was  a 
privilege.  Her  cigarettes  were  made  to  her  order 
in  Cairo  or  Constantinople,  and  although  they  bore 
her  monogram  in  silver,  they  were  neither  gold- 
tipped  nor  scented,  for  Mrs.  Winters  enjoyed  to- 
bacco for  its  own  sake.  She  had  lived  in  the  wine 
districts  of  France  and  Italy  so  long,  when  her 
husband  had  been  in  the  consular  service,  that  she 
knew  almost  as  much  about  vintages  as  most  people 
pretend  to  know.  Her  cocktails  were  famous. 

Billy  thought  of  the  cocktail  before  he  remem- 
bered that  he  had  promised  to  go  to  Mrs.  Winters' 
that  evening.  He  had  been  reading  "  The  Song 
of  Songs,"  and  preferred  Sudermann  to  other  com- 
pany, but  finally  he  tore  himself  away  from  the 

146 


CORRIE    GIVES    A    PARTY 

book  and  dressed,  taking  so  much  time  at  his  bath 
that  it  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  when  he  closed  the 
door  of  Lawson's  apartment  behind  him,  and 
walked  up  the  stairs  to  the  next  floor  above,  where 
Mrs.  Winters  lived. 

Her  rooms  were  crowded  when  he  entered. 
There  was  a  poker  game  at  a  table  in  the  reception 
hall,  and  in  the  drawing  room  beyond  were  two 
tables  of  bridge. 

Senator  Marshfield,  who  had  just  won  a  large 
pot  on  a  small  pair,  hailed  him  with  a  shout  of 
delight. 

Mrs.  Winters  came  forward  smilingly,  in  a 
simple  little  white  gown,  with  milky-white  beads 
clinging  to  arms,  waist,  and  hips.  It  was  exquisite, 
and  might  have  been  worn  by  a  grammar-school 
miss.  Her  hair  was  banded  close  across  the  fore- 
head, and  tucked  up  at  the  nape  of  the  neck,  like 
the  coiffure  of  a  nun.  A  pair  of  barbaric  jewelled 
earrings  belied  the  grammar  school  and  the  nunnery. 

She  introduced  him  to  the  few  he  did  not  know. 
Little  Wallis  was  there,  full  of  unuttered  thoughts, 
and  Gaines,  of  the  Porpoise,  with  whom  he  had 
served  in  the  Caribbean.  There  was  an  attache  of 
the  Italian  Embassy,  a  vapid-looking  man  with  a 
sensual  eye  and  a  small  waxed  mustache  which  he 
everlastingly  twirled,  two  young  officers  of  the 


MY   COUNTRY 

army,  and  a  famous  specialist,  whose  two  passions 
in  life  were  frontal  sinuses  and  no-trump  bids.  The 
women  were  young  girls,  just  learning  to  drink 
cocktails  and  smoke,  and  making  the  usual  rapid 
progress  of  beginners. 

Billy  said  he  would  be  delighted  to  fill  in  at  the 
poker  table,  but  Mrs.  Winters  slipped  her  arm 
through  his,  and  led  him  into  the  bow-window  of 
the  drawing  room,  where  a  slender  girl,  with  deep, 
dark  violet  eyes,  and  a  mass  of  hair  so  brown  in 
shade  that  it  was  almost  black  framing  a  face  of 
the  Italian  type,  arose  to  greet  them,  the  men 
about  her  falling  away  on  either  side  as  she  stood 
up. 

"  I  want  you  to  meet  Miss  Fralli,  Billy,"  said 
Corrie. 

"  Miss  Fralli,"  he  murmured,  the  room  suddenly 
spinning  about  him  like  a  top.  He  took  the  small, 
delicate  hand  she  held  out  to  him.  It  was 
Elfrieda. 

He  looked  at  her  without  daring  to  speak,  his 
brain  in  a  turmoil.  He  could  only  stand  and  look, 
just  look  at  her,  tongue-tied,  stammering,  inarticu- 
late. The  blood  rushed  to  his  face,  and  then  re- 
ceded, leaving  him  white  under  his  sea-tan.  He 
was  hot  all  over,  and  then  suddenly  numb  to  his 
feet.  He  became  aware  that  everyone  was  look- 

148 


CORRIE    GIVES    A    PARTY 

ing  at  him  curiously,  that  the  laughter  and  chatter 
had  ceased. 

He  shook  hands  with  her  again,  mechanically, 
and  went  back  to  the  poker  table,  and  Corrie  saw 
that  he  was  trembling. 

"  What 's  the  matter,  Billy?  "  she  whispered.  "  I 
thought  you  could  face  a  good-looking  girl  with- 
out quaking.  I  shall  have  to  put  a  pair  of  blinders 
on  you." 

There  was  more  composure  in  her  voice  than 
in  her  soul,  and  she  thought  to  herself,  as  she  sat 
down  and  took  up  her  cards,  that  she  would  give 
all  she  had  if  she  could  see  in  Billy  Hartmann's 
eyes  the  look  Miss  Fralli  must  have  seen  in  them. 

Billy  was  still  in  a  daze  when  supper  was  served. 
He  drank  a  cocktail,  tasted  the  oysters,  choked  on  a 
single  cracker. 

Elfrieda  eluded  him,  keeping  the  distance  of  the 
room  between  them.  Always  there  was  an  eager 
guard  around  her.  She  smiled,  and  laughed,  and 
showed  her  little  white  teeth,  and  there  was  a  touch 
of  color  in  her  clear,  creamy  skin.  She  dominated 
the  whole  room,  not  by  her  beauty,  not  by  her 
clothes,  but  by  her  personality.  The  very  air  around 
her  was  charged  with  it,  as  if  her  body  were  a 
dynamo  sending  out  currents  of  some  strange  and 
subtle  force. 

149 


MY   COUNTRY 

Billy  tried  to  eat,  to  be  agreeable,  to  talk.  The 
conversation  was  about  the  war.  Everybody  was 
cynical  and  apathetic,  except  the  army  and  navy 
officers,  who  said  little,  but  listened  intently  when- 
ever anyone  spoke. 

There  was  some  indignation  at  the  transfer  of 
General  Birch,  which  had  just  been  announced.  It 
had  been  expected  that  he  would  command  the  army, 
and  his  removal  to  an  obscure  and  minor  post  on  the 
eve  of  hostilities  had  proved  a  mild  sensation.  One 
of  the  young  girls  thought  it  served  him  right.  He 
had  been  entirely  too  critical  and  naturally  he  had 
made  enemies.  She  supposed  there  were  others. 

"  They  will  send  for  Birch  yet,"  said  little  Wallis, 
who  was  having  his  palm  read  by  a  debutante  with 
a  face  like  an  angel  and  a  gown  like  a  chorus 
girl's. 

"  Why  will  they  send  for  him?  "  demanded  Sen- 
ator Marshfield,  snorting. 

"  They  will  find  that  they  can't  get  along  without 
him,"  replied  Wallis,  blushing  at  his  loquacity. 

One  of  the  army  men  looked  as  though  he  would 
like  to  say  something,  but  after  opening  his  mouth 
he  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  helped  himself  to  a 
highball. 

Elfrieda  was  talking  to  the  Italian  about  Milan, 
and  he  was  looking  at  her  in  a  way  that  made  Billy 

150 


CORRIE    GIVES    A    PARTY 

grind  his  teeth.  He  replied  to  the  chatter  of  the 
girl  on  the  divan  beside  him  in  monosyllables,  his 
forehead  in  a  frown.  He  signalled  Elfrieda  with  his 
eyes  that  he  wanted  to  speak  to  her,  but  she  pre- 
tended not  to  catch  his  meaning.  He  felt  that  he 
must  see  her,  must  speak  with  her  alone.  He  waited 
desperately  for  the  party  to  break  up,  but  it  was 
after  two  o'clock  when  the  guests  began  to  look  for 
their  hats  and  coats. 

He  lingered  on,  among  the  last.  Finally  all  went 
away,  except  Senator  Marshfield,  who  was  voluble. 
He  expected  a  declaration  of  war,  although  he  was 
opposed  to  it  himself.  If  Americans  had  n't  per- 
sisted in  going  abroad  the  country  would  n't  have 
been  in  this  trouble.  They  should  have  stayed  at 
home,  and  minded  their  own  business. 

"  Don't  you  agree  with  me,  Mrs.  Winters  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  Of  course  I  don't,"  said  Corrie  emphatically. 
"  People  have  a  right  to  travel." 

Senator  Marshfield  had  touched  on  something  in 
which  she  was  very  much  interested.  He  changed 
the  subject  and  the  conversation  dragged.  Even 
Mrs.  Winters,  who  would  have  been  classified  orni- 
thologically  as  an  owl,  yawned.  Billy  managed  to 
get  Elfrieda  by  the  window. 

"  I  must  see  you  tonight,"  he  said. 
151 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Not  tonight,  Billy,  it 's  quite  impossible,"  she 
whispered. 

"  But  I  must.  I  tell  you  I  must.  I  feel  as  though 
my  head  would  burst.  What  are  you  doing  here, 
under  an  assumed  name?  " 

"  It 's  my  stage  name,  but  you  must  n't  give  me 
away.  I  have  a  good  reason  for  being  here.  We 
will  talk  it  over  tomorrow.  It  is  good  to  see  you, 
Billy." 

"  It  is  more  than  good  to  see  you  again.  I  've 
longed  so  for  the  sight  of  you,  and  here  you  stand. 
It 's  like  having  Heaven  suddenly  open  before  me." 

"  You  are  nervous." 

"  I  am  always  like  this  when  I  am  with  you. 
Don't  you  remember,  the  last  time,  in  the  Tier- 
garten,  how  I  shook  when  I  said  good  bye  to  you? 
I  am  like  that,  sometimes,  merely  from  thinking  of 
you." 

"  Stop,  Billy,"  she  said  quickly.  "  Come  to  see 
me  in  the  morning." 

"  You  are  visiting  Mrs.  Winters?  " 

She  nodded  that  she  was. 

"  How  long  shall  you  be  here  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"  Can't  you  tell  me  why  you  are  here  ?  How  did 
you  come,  at  such  a  time  as  this,  when  travel  from 
the  other  side  is  so  hazardous?" 

152 


"  Through  Italy,"  she  answered.  '  There  was  no 
trouble,  no  danger,  I  have  Italian  passports." 

"  Have  you  just  arrived?  " 

"  In  Washington,  yes.  I  have  been  visiting  an 
old  friend,  Mrs.  Sabiston,  at  her  home  near  Boston, 
for  a  week." 

Senator  Marshfield  was  at  the  door.  "  Come 
along,  Billy,"  he  called,  "  it  is  getting  late." 

Billy  shook  hands  with  Mrs.  Winters,  and  went 
away  without  another  word  with  Elfrieda,  merely 
smiling  his  good  bye.  He  felt  stifled  and  ill  at  ease. 

At  the  elevator  he  said  good  night  to  Senator 
Marshfield.  "  I  think  I  '11  go  to  my  rooms  for 
my  coat,  and  take  a  walk,"  he  said. 

"  Do  you  live  here  ?  " 

"  I  am  occupying  the  apartment  of  a  friend." 

"  Well,  get  your  coat,  and  I  '11  wait  for  you  down- 
stairs, and  go  as  far  as  the  hotel  with  you,"  said 
the  Senator. 

Billy  rejoined  him  at  the  entrance,  and  they 
walked  down  the  street  together. 

"  Smart  woman,"  said  Senator  Marshfield.  "  Did 
you  observe  how  she  headed  off  that  conversation 
about  General  Birch  ?  There  was  a  squall  brewing, 
but  she  stepped  in,  and  presently  we  were  all  talking 
about  something  else.  I  noticed  it." 

"  She  is  very  clever,"  Billy  agreed. 
153 


"  They  certainly  did  throw  it  into  Birch,"  ob- 
served the  Senator,  helping  himself  to  a  cigar  from 
his  case.  "  That  little  Miss  What  's-her-name  hit  it 
off  exactly;  it  serves  him  right.'' 

"  Everybody  says  his  removal  was  political,"  said 
Billy. 

"  Political,"  snorted  Senator  Marshfield,  "  well, 
was  n't  his  appointment  in  the  first  place  political  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  natural-born  soldier,"  insisted  Billy, 
warmly. 

"  Natural-born  politician,"  grunted  Senator 
Marshfield.  "  He  came  from  my  old  Congres- 
sional district.  If  he  had  n't  gone  into  the  army 
I  would  still  be  practising  law  in  a  one-horse  town. 
We  can't  afford  to  let  a  man  like  that  get  any 
glory  out  of  this  war  —  he 's  too  good  a  vote- 
getter." 

Billy  stopped,  and  regarded  Senator  Marshfield 
with  a  look  of  amazement  on  his  face. 

"  Too  good  a  vote-getter?  "  he  repeated,  as  if  he 
had  not  heard  correctly. 

"Ab  — solutely!" 

"  What 's  that  got  to  do  with  it,  if  he  is  an  effi- 
cient soldier,  and  the  government  needs  him?  The 
War  Department  knows  that  he  is  a  great  soldier, 
everybody  knows  it.  It  is  one  of  those  things  there 
can  be  no  mistake  about.  It  is  in  his  record,  and 

154 


you  can  see  it  in  his  face.     You  know  it,  and  the 
whole  country  knows  it." 

"  That 's  just  the  point,"  laughed  Senator  Marsh- 
field.  "Of  course  he  's  a  pretty  good  soldier.  All 
you  army  and  navy  people  say  so,  and  you  ought  to 
know  if  anybody  does.  But  he 's  too  popular. 
We  '11  be  electing  a  President  again  before  you 
realize  it,  son." 

"  Four  years  before  we  have  a  new  President," 
reminded  Billy. 

"Who  said  anything  about  a  new  one?"  de- 
manded Senator  Marshfield.  "  That 's  just  the 
point.  Well,  an  ambitious  man  might  find  it 
easy  to  make  in  this  kind  of  a  war  the  sort 
of  military  reputation  that  leads  to  the  White 
House.  After  the  first  blood  has  been  spilled 
the  American  people  will  be  clamoring  for  a 
hero.  I  know  'em  —  they  are  never  happy  without 
a  hero." 

"  Birch  is  a  soldier,"  said  Billy.  "  He  has  been 
trying  for  years,  long  before  this  war  was  dreamed 
of,  to  do  for  the  United  States  what  Roberts  tried 
to  do  for  England.  He  is  n't  thinking  about  the 
White  House." 

"  But  some  of  the  long-headed  politicians  are. 
We  Ve  got  to  be  careful,  son,  mighty  careful,"  and 
Senator  Marshfield  chuckled. 

155 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  He  should  not  be  put  aside  at  a  time  like  this 
for  political  reasons,"  said  Billy,  vigorously. 

"  Is  n't  he  being  put  forward  for  political  rea- 
sons?" demanded  the  Senator.  "Of  course  he  is 
—  that 's  the  game.  I  was  n't  born  yesterday.  Gen- 
eral Birch  is  being  groomed  for  the  Presidency  by  a 
crowd  that  wanted  to  put  him  over  last  time,  and 
could  n't.  We  propose  to  head  them  off." 

"  There  should  n't  be  any  politics  now,"  Billy  said. 

"  Son,"  replied  Senator  Marshfield,  "  in  this  coun- 
try everything  is  politics." 

"  You  gave  out  a  statement  at  the  White  House 
this  morning  that  the  watchword  now  was  *  Patriot- 
ism first,'  "  said  Billy.  "  I  read  it  in  the  newspapers. 
It  was  splendid." 

"  I  got  some  good  headlines,  did  n't  I  ?  "  he 
chuckled.  "  Sure,  patriotism  first.  By  the  way, 
Billy,  they  're  going  to  put  one  of  the  big  mobiliza- 
tion camps  in  our  State,  I  've  just  fixed  it." 

"It's  a  rotten  selection,"  said  Billy.  "We 
have  n't  adequate  transportation  facilities  out  there." 

"  Transportation  ?  "  demanded  Senator  Marsh- 
field,  looking  at  him  pityingly.  "  Man,  it 's  a  doubt- 
ful State!" 

"  You  speak  as  if  politics  was  the  supreme 
consideration." 

"  It  is,  nearly,  and  don't  forget,  son,  that  we 
156 


CORRIE   GIVES   A    PARTY 

always  have  made  our  Presidents  on  the  battlefield. 
And  we  '11  be  doing  it  again,  if  we  are  n't  careful. 
We  got  a  crop  of  them  from  the  Revolution,  there 
was  Andy  Jackson,  the  Mexican  war  furnished  its 
quota,  and  the  Civil  war  produced  a  whole  raft 
of  them,  clear  down  to  McKinley.  We  had  a  scrap 
with  Spain,  and  even  that  gave  us  one." 

"  Yes,  by  God,"  said  Billy,  "  and  he  was  a 
whale." 

"  That 's  what  the  people  used  to  think,  once." 

"  And  they  will  think  it  again." 

"  Not  if  we  see  him  first,  they  won't,"  said 
Senator  Marshfield,  grimly.  "  We  shall  refuse  to 
make  any  political  generals  —  if  we  can  get  away 
with  it,"  and  he  chuckled  as  he  chewed  the  end  of 
his  cigar. 

"Political!"  said  Billy.  "Why,  the  man's  a 
natural  leader.  He  could  raise  an  army  while  any- 
body else  was  recruiting  a  platoon." 

"  Yes,  and  it  would  be  his  army,  and  if  he  ever 
got  on  the  battle  line  it  would  be  his  own  private 
war.  He  'd  even  make  France  forget  who  Joffre 
was." 

"  To  see  him  leading  an  American  army  to 
Europe  would  be  an  inspiring  sight,"  insisted 
Billy. 

"  That 's  not  the  point,"  interrupted  the  Senator, 
157 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  what  we  are  thinking  about  is  how  he  would  look 
coming  back." 

"If  he  is  to  be  kept  out  because  of  politics," 
said  Billy,  "  it 's  a  pity  the  Constitution  was  n't 
amended  to  make  him  ineligible  for  a  third 
term." 

"  We  could  n't  do  it,"  said  Senator  Marshfield, 
regretfully. 

"  You  had  the  votes  at  one  time." 

"  We  could  have  limited  him  to  two  terms  more, 
but  we  could  n't  have  prevented  him  from  going 
back.  There  's  an  ex  post  facto  clause  in  the  Con- 
stitution, son.  Did  you  ever  think  of  that?" 

"  So  you  're  going  to  keep  him  —  ' 

"  Out  of  the  spotlight,"  nodded  Senator  Marsh- 
field.  "That  is,"  he  added  doubtfully,  "if  we 
can.  It  may  be  impossible  to  do  it.  He  '11  go 
tearing  around  telling  everybody  what  a  great  gen- 
eral he  is,  and  thousands  of  the  feeble-minded  of 
the  genus  Ovis  will  fall  for  it.  They  already  think 
that  San  Juan  was  one  of  the  fifteen  decisive  battles 
of  the  world.  If  I  had  my  way  about  it  I  'd  make 
him  a  Major  General  and  Custodian-in-Chief  of 
the  ink  bottle,  and  let  him  write  all  the  round  robins. 
I  don't  see  why  he  does  n't  apply  for  a  commission 
as  Admiral  of  the  Navy,  he  's  spent  a  month  aboard 
ship  for  every  day  he  ever  spent  in  the  camp  or 

158 


on  the  battle-field.  I  don't  believe  in  sending 
twenty  thousand  hot-headed,  untrained  Americans 
to  France  to  be  slaughtered  to  make  a  headline 
holiday.  Still,  we  may  have  to  let  him  go.  If  we 
don't  he  '11  probably  organize  a  third-party  move- 
ment and  break  up  the  darned  war.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  may  prove  advisable  to  have  a  third-termer 
for  the  other  candidate,  hey  ?  You  can't  tell.  Lots 
of  things  enter  into  this  question." 

"  You  '11  have  to  send  somebody  to  France,  that 's 
certain,"  said  Billy,  "  the  inevitable  logic  of  the 
situation  will  require  it." 

"  The  obvious  thing,"  agreed  Senator  Marsh- 
field,  "  is  to  pick  somebody  for  the  calcium  like 
yourself." 

"  Like  me  ?  "  said  Billy,  wonderingly. 

"  A  naturalized  American.  Suppose  we  had 
some  general  who  was  born  in  Canada,  for  in- 
stance, and  put  him  right  out  in  the  full  glare  of 
publicity,  would  n't  that  be  a  corking  idea  ?  " 

"  If  he  was  a  good  soldier,  yes." 

"  Hang  it,  if  there  's  a  point  anywhere  you  miss 
it,"  said  Senator  Marshfield,  in  the  pitying  tone  of 
a  professor  addressing  an  infant  class.  "  I  mean 
from  the  political  point  of  view.  He  could  n't  be 
President,  and  he  could  go  after  all  the  glory  he 
wanted." 

159 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Oh,  I  see." 

"  Sure.  We  Ve  got  to  find  a  man  like  that,  or 
else  some  cracking  good  soldier  who  has  something 
in  his  private  record,  something  not  generally 
known,  that  would  overwhelm  him  in  a  political 
campaign,  and  that  he  would  know  would  over- 
whelm him." 

"  A  man  like  that  would  n't  be  in  the  army," 
said  Billy. 

"  Maybe  not,  and  maybe  yes,"  replied  Senator 
Marshfield,  drawing  his  left  eye  into  a  laborious 
wink.  "  Maybe  yes.  We  don't  propose  to  turn 
this  country  over  to  the  military,  son,  but  if  we 
find  that  we  shall  have  to,  he  '11  be  our  kind  of  a 
military  man.  Here  's  my  hotel,  so  good  night." 

Billy  walked  back  to  his  apartment  and  passed  a 
restless  night.  The  atmosphere  of  Washington  was 
beginning  to  nauseate  him.  He  thought  of  El- 
frieda,  of  the  false  colors  under  which  she  was 
passing,  and  did  not  close  his  eyes  until  daylight. 


160 


CHAPTER    XIV 

IN   SPITE  OF   ALL   YOUR   HEART 

Billy  wasted  almost  the  entire  day  at  the  Navy 
Department,  and  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when 
Elfrieda,  who  had  been  watching  the  clock  since 
breakfast,  heard  his  knock  at  the  door  and  went 
to  let  him  in. 

He  shook  hands  with  her  gravely,  and  thought, 
as  they  went  into  the  drawing  room,  "  she  is  more 
beautiful  than  ever."  He  found  it  hard  to  realize 
that  years  had  passed  since  he  had  seen  her  before, 
years  that  had  changed  him  from  a  boy  to  a  man, 
and  had  left  her  a  girl,  with  the  same  flawless  skin, 
the  same  soft  hair,  the  same  deep  eyes  that  made 
him  tremble  when  he  looked  into  them.  Her  body 
was  fuller  and  rounder,  but  she  had  lost  none  of 
the  supple  gracefulness  of  her  young  girlhood. 
"  She  has  not  felt  the  years  as  I  have,"  he  thought, 
as  he  stood  on  the  rug  by  the  window  regarding 
her,  with  such  a  look  in  his  eyes  that  she  turned 
her  head  away,  not  daring  to  return  his  glance. 

Mrs.  Winters  was  at  her  dentist's.  They  had 
161 


MY   COUNTRY 

the  drawing  room  to  themselves.  He  could  scarcely 
speak,  could  only  look  at  her,  with  hungry  longing. 
He  asked  after  the  family  in  Berlin. 

The  war  had  fallen  heavily  upon  the  Sigberts, 
all  of  them.  Charlotte's  business,  built  up  after 
years  of  teaching,  had  been  ruined.  Nobody  was 
taking  music  lessons  in  Berlin  now.  Their  income 
had  been  much  reduced,  and  only  the  money  from 
the  property  in  America  sustained  them.  Now 
there  was  a  possibility  that  that  would  be  cut  off. 
She  did  not  know  what  they  would  do.  Food  was 
very  scarce,  and  they  had  all  suffered  except  her- 
self, who  had  learned  long  ago  from  Ruhlmann 
how  to  live  on  simple  fare.  Helena  had  married, 
a  young  man  of  good  family,  an  officer  in  a  Bava- 
rian regiment.  He  had  been  killed  at  Verdun  two 
months  later,  and  Helena  had  a  baby,  born  after 
his  father's  death.  Greta  had  been  in  a  hospital 
at  Posen  since  the  beginning  of  the  war.  She  now 
had  an  important  post. 

Billy  stared  out  of  window,  a  mist  before  his 
eyes.  Finally  he  asked: 

"And  you?" 

"  I  have  been  serving  the  government,"  she  re- 
plied, hesitatingly. 

"  And  your  music  ?  " 

"  I  have  given  up  everything.  When  the  war 
162 


IN   SPITE   OF   ALL   YOUR   HEART 

is  over  I  shall  keep  on.  I  shall  reach  my  goal, 
some  day." 

"  You  have  not  yet  —  " 

"  I  have  not  found  success.  I  have  been  within 
reach  of  it,  I  have  had  it  within  my  grasp,  only  to 
see  it  slip  away,  but  I  shall  try  again.  I  must  sing, 
I  must  sing,  Billy,  it  would  kill  my  mother  if  I 
failed,  and  the  same  old  demon  within  me  is  whip- 
ping me  on." 

"  I  understand,  dear,"  he  said.  "  I  promised 
you,  the  day  I  saw  you  last  in  the  Tiergarten, 
that  I  would  not  speak  to  you  again  of  myself 
until  —  until  you  had  achieved  your  ambition. 
Surely  you  will  not  hold  me  to  that  now.  I  love 
you,  Frieda,  I  have  loved  you  every  day  of  my  life 
from  the  day  I  saw  you  first,  from  the  day  I  kissed 
you  in  the  old  grape  arbor  there  at  home,  from 
the  day  I  said  good  bye  to  you  when  you  went 
back  to  Germany,  from  the  day  I  left  you  in  Berlin 
to  go  my  way  alone.  The  best  of  life  is  still  be- 
fore us,  Frieda.  Come  to  me  now." 

"  I  must  keep  on  to  the  end,"  she  answered. 
"  All  look  to  me  to  do  this  thing,  and  more  than 
ever  now  their  hopes  for  the  future  are  bound  up 
in  my  success.  I  cannot  fail  them,  so  I  must  go 
on,  and  all  the  work  must  be  repeated  when  the 
fighting  ends,  and  all  the  steps  that  I  have  climbed 

163 


MY   COUNTRY 

up  in  the  past  I  must  mount  slowly,  one  by  one, 
again,  I  must  continue  till  I  win  or  die." 

"  You  will  succeed,  I  know,  dear  heart,  the  spark 
that  burns  in  your  immortal  soul  will  never  flicker 
out.  That 's  why  I  love  you  so,  and  shall  go  on 
to  love  you  to  the  end." 

He  stood  up  quickly,  and  walked  to  where  she 
sat.  "  And  now,"  he  said,  a  new  note  in  his  voice 
that  grew  into  a  whisper  as  he  spoke,  "  you  know 
what  next  to  you  lies  closest  to  my  heart.  .  .  .  Tell 
me  about  Karl." 

She  would  not  look  at  him  as  she  replied, 
"  There  is  not  much  to  tell  you,  Billy."  She  tried 
to  speak  again,  but  could  not  go  on,  and  clasped 
and  unclasped  her  hands  nervously. 

"  Elsa  cabled  me  at  Manila,  that  he  was  dead, 
and  that  is  all  I  have  ever  known,  except  for  what 
I  saw  in  a  brief  line  in  one  of  the  papers.  How 
did  Elsa  know  ?  " 

"  I  sent  her  word." 

"  You  thought  of  me  ?  I  shall  never  forget  that, 
Elfrieda." 

"  Don't,  Billy,  I  cannot  bear  to  have  you  speak 
like  that  —  don't  thank  me,  I  cannot  stand  it. 
When  —  when  it  happened,  I  thought  at  once  of 
Elsa.  Although  she  remained  behind  when  we 
went  back  to  Germany,  we  had  always  kept  in 

164 


IN   SPITE   OF   ALL   YOUR   HEART 

touch  with  her.  She  is  a  faithful  friend,  more 
than  a  servant.  Mother  mourns  for  her  even  now." 

"  Aunt  Lottie  misses  the  good  things  she  used 
to  cook,"  smiled  Billy  sadly,  thinking  of  his  boy- 
hood. "  I  can  see  her  now  in  the  old  kitchen  at 
home,  making  the  icing  for  the  cake.  She  always 
gave  the  spoon  to  Karl."  He  stopped,  and  then 
went  on:  "Tell  me  everything,  Elfrieda,  I  can 
stand  it  now,  tell  me  how  he  died  —  my  brother. 
Thank  God,  it  was  in  battle." 

Elfrieda  looked  up  at  him,  her  face  ashen,  every 
vestige  of  color  gone  from  skin  and  eyes.  She 
was  silent. 

"Is  there  nothing  more  you  can  tell  me?" 

"  Nothing." 

"Where  is  he  buried?" 

"  His  —  his  —  his  body  was  not  recovered.  It 
was  —  simply  reported  to  us  that  he  was  dead, 
that  he  had  gone  down  with  his  ship." 

Billy  felt  for  a  chair.    After  a  while  he  said : 

"  Elfrieda,  why  are  you  in  the  United  States 
under  a  name  that  is  not  your  own?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you.  All  I  can  say  is  that  you  must 
not  betray  me." 

"  But  some  one  may  recognize  you." 

"  It  is  not  likely.  I  have  been  away  for  many 
years.  I  thought  I  should  faint  last  night  when 

165 


MY   COUNTRY 

Senator  Marshfield  came  into  the  room.  He  used  to 
live  in  our  town,  but  I  was  a  little  girl  then,  and  he 
did  not  know  me.  I  know  nobody  in  Washington." 

"  Still,  somebody  may  see  you.  Neil  Lawson,  for 
instance.  He  would  remember  you." 

"Where  is  he?" 

"  In  Florida,  now,  but  he  may  return.  I  am  oc- 
cupying his  apartment  on  the  floor  below." 

"  I  shall  have  to  guard  against  that.  You  will 
not  tell?" 

"  Of  course  not." 

"  Do  you  promise  ?  "  She  suddenly  got  up,  and 
went  to  him,  and  put  her  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  and 
he  could  smell  the  delicious  feminine  odor  of  her  body, 
and  feel  the  soft  touch  of  her  hair  against  his  cheek. 

"  Certainly,  if  you  wish  it." 

"  Then  I  am  safe." 

"  Safe?    Are  you  in  danger?" 

"  Yes.    .No.    I  do  not  know." 

"  Elfrieda,  I  am  anxious  about  you." 

"  It  is  nothing,"  she  said,  going  back  to  her  chair. 

"  I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  you  being  in  danger." 

"  You  must  n't  be  alarmed." 

"  But  I  am,  I  cannot  be  easy  in  my  mind.  Is  there 
no  way  I  can  help  you  ?  " 

She  shook  her  head,  doubtfully.  They  sat  in  si- 
lence. Then  she  said : 

166 


IN   SPITE  OF  ALL  YOUR  HEART 

"  It  was  a  great  joy  to  us  all  to  know  that  your 
heart  was  with  the  Fatherland." 

"  You  could  not  know  that.  I  would  not  write 
about  the  war  in  my  letters  to  you." 

"  We  heard." 

"Heard?" 

"  It  is  what  the  reports  said." 

"  Reports  ?    What  reports  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know.    I  was  told  so." 

"Told  what?" 

"  That  at  heart  you  were  a  German.  That  you 
were  with  us." 

"  I  was  at  first." 

"  I  do  not  understand." 

"  When  the  war  broke  out  everything  was  con- 
fused. I  was  swept  off  my  feet  and  I  wanted  Ger- 
many to  win.  It  was  the  blood  call,  and  there  is 
no  reason  in  it.  I  made  myself  believe  that  Germany 
did  not  will  the  war,  although  I  knew  better." 

"Knew  better?" 

"  Certainly.  Officers  of  the  German  navy  told  me 
more  than  five  years  ago  that  Germany  was  getting 
ready  to  strike.  Still,  I  did  not  think  she  had  started 
it.  I  forced  myself  to  believe  that  England  began  it ! " 

"  England  did  start  it,"  said  Elfrieda,  her  face 
suddenly  flaming  with  passion. 

"  I  compelled  myself  to  believe  this  at  first.  I 
167 


MY   COUNTRY 

knew  that  the  British  navy  was  ready  in  the  North 
Sea  when  the  hour  struck." 

"  It  is  all  that  saved  England,"  said  Elfrieda, 
passionately. 

"  But  you  just  now  said  that  England  started  the 
war." 

"  She  did." 

"  Then  why  do  you  say  that  the  presence  of  the 
British  fleet  in  the  North  Sea  is  all  that  saved 
England?" 

She  was  silent. 

"  Don't  you  see,  Elfrieda,  it  is  n't  logical.  That 
is  the  trouble  with  the  German  arguments,  they  are 
not  logical.  Every  time  your  brain  comes  up  against 
a  stone  wall  of  fact." 

"  England  was  ready,"  insisted  Elfrieda. 

"  England  has  been  ready  on  the  sea  for  three 
hundred  years." 

"  She  had  a  secret  treaty  with  Belgium,"  said 
Elfrieda,  doggedly. 

"  Discovered  when  the  German  army  reached 
Brussels." 

"  You  are  trying  to  trap  me." 

"  No,  I  am  not.    I  want  to  help  you  see." 

"  God  will  punish  England,"  said  Elfrieda,  in- 
tensely. "  Billy !  They  are  even  poisoning  the 
wells." 

1 68 


IN   SPITE   OF   ALL   YOUR   HEART 

"Who?" 

'  The  English.  They  are  killing  our  men,  who 
are  fighting  for  the  Fatherland,  like  rats." 

"  Frieda,"  replied  Billy,  "  I  have  known  English- 
men ever  since  I  went  into  the  navy.  I  have  worked 
with  them,  played  with  them,  fought  with  them. 
They  are  the  finest  sportsmen  in  the  world.  I  be- 
lieve that  an  Englishman  would  give  a  mad  dog  a 
sporting  chance  for  its  life.  The  Englishman  has  n't 
been  born  who  would  poison  a  well.  It  is  n't  in  his 
code.  I  know,  and  must  bear  witness." 

"  Everybody  in  Germany  knows  they  have  poi- 
soned wells,"  cried  Elfrieda,  passionately. 

"  Does  everybody  in  Germany  know  about  the 
French  and  Belgian  girls  carried  off  from  their 
homes  like  cattle  to  be  the  wretched  playthings  of 
the  fighting  men  ?  "  he  said  slowly. 

"  It  is  not  true.  It  is  an  English  lie.  General  von 
Heidenreich  would  not  permit  it.  He  has  done  a 
great  constructive  work  in  Belgium;  everyone 
knows  it." 

"  Von  Heidenreich,"  said  Billy,  "  is  the  man  on 
whose  account  my  father  left  his  home.  His  name 
has  been  a  shame  to  me  for  all  my  life.  I  never 
knew,  when  I  was  still  a  boy,  the  mystery  of  it  all, 
but  things  have  come  to  me,  the  memory  of  my 
father's  words,  the  reason  why  my  mother  stayed 

169 


MY   COUNTRY 

behind  when  we  moved  here.  .  .  .  My  mother! 
Von  Heidenreich,  he  is  a  beast,  I  would  believe  any- 
thing of  him.  I  know  these  horrors,  all  of  them, 
are  true." 

"  The  women  of  Germany  would  not  permit  it. 
It  is  a  lie,  an  English  lie." 

"  There  are  some  things  the  women  of  Germany 
are  not  permitted  to  know.  Some  day  they  will 
learn,  they  must  learn,  and  it  will  break  their 
hearts." 

"  There  are,  I  suppose,  some  bad  men  in  the 
world,"  she  faltered. 

"  Individual  cases  might  be  put  down  to  the  de- 
generacy of  a  few  abnormal  men  here  and  there, 
but  when  whole  villages  of  girls  are  driven  off  be- 
fore their  masters  there  is  but  one  explanation,  it  is 
deliberate,  organized." 

"  You  do  not  talk  like  a  German,"  she  said  faintly. 

"I  —  I  —  I  am  talking  like  a  man,"  said  Billy, 
slowly.  "  I  love  you  so,  Elfrieda,  I  love  all  women 
in  you.  Whatever  any  man  does  to  one  of  them  he 
does  to  you  —  and  to  me." 

She  hung  her  head,  not  daring  to  look  at  him, 
her  lip  trembling.  Presently  she  said : 

"  It  can't  be  true,  Billy,  as  a  German  woman  I 
know  it  can't  be  true." 

"  What  do  you  believe  as  an  American  woman  ?  " 
170 


IN   SPITE  OF   ALL   YOUR   HEART 

"  An  American  ?  "  she  asked,  startled. 

"  You  were  born  in  this  country.  Have  you  ever 
been  naturalized  a  German  subject?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then  you  are  an  American." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  she  answered  slowly,  "  I  have 
thought  of  that,  sometimes.  I  am  not  quite  like 
Charlotte,  and  Greta,  and  Helena.  I  feel  it.  They 
are  Germans  —  but  I  am  for  Germany,"  she  fin- 
ished, in  a  voice  shaking  with  emotion,  "  for  Ger- 
many, with  all  my  heart,  and  all  my  soul." 

"  Yes,  dear,  against  England,  and  Russia,  and 
even  France,  if  you  wish." 

"  Against  —  everything !  "  she  cried,  her  little 
white  hands  clenched  until  the  blue  veins  stood  out 
on  them  like  knots. 

Billy  smiled  at  her,  half  sadly,  half  quizzically, 
and  pointed  through  the  window. 

Over  the  rooftops,  far  away  across  the  town,  on 
the  flagpole  upon  the  top  of  a  tall  building,  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  fluttered  in  the  March  breeze 
against  the  blue  spring  sky. 

"  That,  Frieda,"  he  said,  "  is  your  flag  —  against 
everything.  It  is  because  it  is,  in  spite  of  all  your 
heart  and  all  your  soul." 


171 


ELFRIEDA   HAS   AN    IDEA 

Billy  had  begun  some  work  at  the  Department 
upon  the  science  to  which  he  had  devoted  the  best 
years  of  his  life,  strategy.  He  had  conceived  and 
worked  out  problems  far  in  advance  of  those  in  the 
course  at  Newport,  and  he  had  acquired  from  inti- 
mate friends  in  the  British  navy,  in  many  a  social 
hour  on  shipboard,  some  of  the  things  that  English 
fleet  commanders  had  done  in  actual  manoeuvres, 
and  in  battle. 

He  had  the  same  instinct  for  this  that  makes  the 
born  chess  player. 

Many  of  the  officers  who  had  served  with  him 
knew  what  he  had  done  already,  what  he  might  do 
if  given  the  opportunity.  Just  when  Billy  had  de- 
spaired of  being  called  upon,  of  being  utilized  in 
any  practical  way,  he  was  called  into  consultation, 
without  actually  being  placed  upon  the  board  of 
strategy. 

To  his  friends  he  voiced  some  of  the  fears  that 
constantly  arose  in  his  mind.  If  war  were  declared 
would  it  be  followed  by  righting? 

172 


i 


That,  Frieda,"  he  said,  "is  your  flag — against  everything" 

PAGE  171 


ELFRIEDA    HAS   AN    IDEA 

"  Will  the  fleet,"  he  asked  Wallis,  who  had  been 
attached  to  operations,  "  co-operate  with  the  British 
fleet?" 

Nobody  knew. 

Suppose  the  North  Sea  fleet  were  defeated,  or  the 
German  fleet  should  break  through  into  the  Atlantic, 
would  that  fleet  be  met  at  sea,  or  would  the  American 
fleet  be  called  in  to  protect  the  coast  cities? 

Nobody  knew  the  answer  to  that. 

Who  was  to  determine  what  the  fleet  would  do? 

Senator  Marshfield  brought  the  matter  up  one 
afternoon.  He  had  been  to  the  Department,  and  had 
succeeded  in  having  a  constituent  appointed  a  Passed 
Assistant  Paymaster.  Billy  met  him  at  the  door,  as 
he  was  going  out,  much  pleased  with  himself.  They 
walked  down  the  street  together,  the  Senator  smil- 
ing, Billy's  face  drawn  about  the  mouth  and  eyes. 

"  Things  are  going  fine,"  said  Senator  Marshfield. 

"Do  you  still  think  that  we  shall  have  war?" 
asked  Billy. 

"  Oh,  yes,  in  a  way,"  replied  the  Senator,  select- 
ing a  cigar  with  much  care.  "  In  a  way.  Great 
idea,  we  have  now." 

"About  what?" 

"  We  're  going  to  help  France.  That  won't  get 
anybody  sore.  Old  friendship,  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing.  Nobody  will  resent  what  we  do  for  France." 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  An  army?  "  asked  Billy,  interested. 

"  Not  if  we  can  help  it,"  replied  Senator  Marsh- 
field.  "  Money.  Nobody  can  make  a  military  repu- 
tation writing  a  check." 

"  We  ought  to  send  an  army  to  France  if  we 
really  mean  to  help,"  insisted  Billy. 

"  The  public  may  clamor  for  it.  If  we  can't  risk 
ignoring  it  we  '11  have  to  send  a  division,  about 
twenty  thousand  men,  say,  regulars,  and  the  ideal 
man,  if  we  can  find  him,  will  command  it." 

"  The  best  major-general  we  've  got,"  said  Billy, 
eagerly. 

"  Hell,  no,"  laughed  Senator  Marshfield  —  "  the 
poorest  politician.  He  '11  be  absolutely  safe,  see  ? 
Then  we  '11  organize  an  army  for  the  moral  effect 
in  Europe  and  America.  There  '11  probably  be  a 
million  men  in  uniform  in  this  country  next 
summer." 

"  The  khaki  for  the  first  hundred  thousand  of 
them  has  n't  been  woven  yet,"  said  Billy,  bitterly. 
"  What  '11  you  put  the  other  nine  hundred  thousand 
in,  pink  silk  kimonos  ?  " 

"  We  can  go  into  the  open  market  and  buy  any- 
thing we  want,"  said  Senator  Marshfield,  grandly. 
"  We  have  unlimited  resources." 

"  You  have  n't  seen  your  resources  stacked  up 
alongside  your  liabilities  yet,"  answered  Billy,  shrug- 


ELFRIEDA   HAS   AN    IDEA 

ging  his  shoulders.    "  What  will  Congress  do  about 
the  war?" 

"  Well,"  said  Senator  Marshfield,  taking  his  cigar 
from  his  mouth,  and  regarding  it  reflectively,  "  of 
course  we  've  got  to  hang  our  clothes  on  a  hickory 
limb  —  but  we  won't  go  near  the  water,  not  if  I  can 
help  it." 

Billy  spoke  of  a  possible  military  and  naval  move- 
ment there  had  been  much  talk  about  in  the  news- 
papers. 

"  Dangerous,"  said  Senator  Marshfield,  shortly. 

"  It 's  the  only  thing  to  do,"  said  Billy,  with  more 
than  his  usual  heat,  "  and  we  've  got  to  play  the 
British  way,  too,"  he  added.  "  It  is  n't  dangerous ; 
it 's  the  only  safe  thing  to  do." 

"  You  don't  grasp  the  point,"  laughed  Senator 
Marshfield.  "  You  forget  the  Irish  vote.  We 
could  n't  do  a  more  dangerous  thing.  Most 
of  the  Irish  in  this  country  hate  England,  and 
for  that  matter,  so  did  most  of  the  descend- 
ants of  the  old  English  stock  until  the  Euro- 
pean war  began.  We  Ve  been  feeding  our  people 
on  it  for  years  in  the  school  books,  and  you 
can't  undo  that  in  a  day.  There  'd  be  a  howl 
if  we  helped  England,  and  the  people  would 
get  even  at  the  polls.  We  '11  help  France,  that 's 
safe." 

175 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Surely  we  've  got  over  our  Fourth  Reader 
days,"  said  Billy. 

Senator  Marshfield  patted  him  on  the  arm. 
"  Son,"  he  smiled,  "  what  kind  of  newspapers  do 
the  people  read  nowadays,  the  great  masses  of  the 
people,  I  mean  ?  Two  or  three  screaming  headlines, 
and  the  rest  comic  pictures.  That 's  the  class  we  're 
thinking  about.  They  go  to  the  polls  every  election 
day,  rain  or  shine.  They  don't  think." 

"  If  you  mean  to  cast  any  slur  on  the  patriotism 
of  the  people  —  " 

"  Oh,  not  that,  exactly,"  interjected  Senator 
Marshfield. 

"  You  ought  to  look  over  the  enlistment  figures," 
said  Billy.  "  The  country  is  full  of  enthusiasm. 
It 's  far  ahead  of  the  government.  The  people 
want  the  government  to  lead,  not  to  throw  cold 
water.  Some  of  the  things  they  are  doing  are  splen- 
did, perfectly  splendid." 

"  It 's  love  of  excitement,  adventure,"  said  Sena- 
tor Marshfield. 

"  It 's  patriotism,"  insisted  Billy. 

"  You  don't  talk  like  a  German-American," 
said  Senator  Marshfield,  turning  to  look  at  him 
curiously. 

"  By  God,  I  am  not  a  German-American,"  Billy 
almost  shouted. 

176 


ELFRIEDA   HAS   AN   IDEA 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  then,  what  are  you  ?  "  de- 
manded Senator  Marshfield  in  amazement. 

"  I  'm  an  American,"  said  Billy,  "a  —  a  regular 
American." 

"  You  have  n't  been  out  home  lately,"  said  Sena- 
tor Marshfield.  "  You  have  n't  been  living  in  our 
State  for  the  past  two  and  a  half  years.  I  don't 
know  where  you  've  been  getting  your  ideas." 

"  I  Ve  been  getting  them  on  the  deck  of  a  United 
States  warship,"  said  Billy,  the  blood  in  his  face. 
"  It 's  a  great  place  for  ideas,  Senator." 

"  I  'm  in  closer  touch  with  the  people,"  said  Sena- 
tor Marshfield.  "  I  have  good  reasons  for  all  my 
plans,  if  you  do  know  more  about  fourteen-inch 
guns." 

"  Do  you  know  what  one  of  those  big  guns  could 
do  to  your  plans  if  it  were  fired?"  asked  Billy. 
"  Blow  'em  out  of  water!  " 

He  went  to  Elfrieda,  high  strung,  nervous,  and 
found  her  moping  at  Mrs.  Winters'  window.  There 
was  something  in  her  eyes  that  made  him  say 
quickly : 

"  Homesick,  dear  ?  " 

"  No;  not  that  exactly,  just  sad,  that 's  all.  But 
you  mustn't  call  me  'dear,'  someone  might  hear  you." 

"  Can't  I  call  you  '  dear '  when  we  are  alone?  " 

"  Y  —  yes,  I  —  I  suppose  so,  Billy." 
177 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  You  remember  the  promise  I  made  you,  the 
last  day  we  spent  together,  in  the  Tiergarten?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  You  made  me  promise  that  I  would  not  make 
love  to  you  again  until  you  had  become  a  famous 
singer." 

"  I  remember." 

"  Has  n't  the  war  changed  that,  does  n't  it  relieve 
me  of  my  promise  ?  " 

"The  war?" 

"  It  puts  everything  so  far  away.  It  has  inter- 
rupted your  studies,  spoiled  your  career  —  no,  no, 
dear,  I  don't  mean  that.  I  mean  it  —  it  has  put  the 
goal  farther  away,  that 's  it,  just  moved  the  goal  a 
little  farther  away.  And  I  don't  want  to  wait.  El- 
frieda,  dear,  I  love  you  the  same  as  I  always  have. 
I  've  always  loved  you.  I  loved  you  the  night  I  saw 
you  slip  through  the  folding  door,  that  night  I  came 
to  your  mother's  house,  and  I  have  loved  you  every 
day  of  my  life  since  then.  I  have  never  wanted  any 
other  woman,  Elfrieda,  but  oh,  I  do  want  you." 

"  You  're  breaking  your  promise."  she  said,  turn- 
ing away. 

"  Let 's  not  wait,  Elfrieda,"  he  begged.  "  Life  is 
so  short.  You  could  still  study,  and  sing,  if  we  were 
married.  I  won't  demand  all  of  you,  Elfrieda. 
Have  your  career,  gratify  your  ambition,  I  '11  only 

178 


ELFRIEDA   HAS   AN    IDEA 

ask    for   part   of   you,    Elfrieda,    the    part   that 's 
left." 

'  There  's  more  than  that  between  us  now,"  she 
said,  looking  at  him  again  through  half -closed  eyes. 

He  cried  out.  startled :  "  Is  there  —  is  there  some- 
one else  ?  ' 

"  I  mean  the  war." 
'  The  war  shan't  come  between  us,  Elfrieda." 

"  It  has  come  already.  It  is  between  us.  I  can 
feel  it,  like  a  great,  black  —  something  dreadful." 

She  buried  her  face  in  her  hands,  and  her  slender 
body  trembled,  but  when  she  raised  her  head  again 
there  were  no  tears  upon  her  cheek,  and  her  eyes 
were  hot  and  dry. 

"  It  shan't  come  between  us,"  he  cried  passion- 
ately. "  Why  should  it  ?  It  is  a  nightmare  to  all 
the  world,  but  we  will  keep  it  from  becoming  a 
nightmare  to  us.  We  will  push  it  away  from  us, 
you  and  I,  dear." 

"  I  mean  the  —  the  war  between  Germany  and 
the  United  States." 

"  Oh." 

"  That  is  what  is  between  us." 

"  You  and  I  are  Americans,  Frieda." 

"  I  am  afraid  that  I  had  forgotten  it,  all  these 
years." 

"  You  must  remember  it." 
179 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  I  have  as  much  right  to  be  a  German  as  you 
have  to  be  an  American.  I  must  be  a  German,  Billy, 
I  must,  I  must !  " 

"  You  were  born  here,  under  that  flag  out  there." 

"  If  that  makes  me  an  American,  the  fact  that 
you  were  born  in  Prussia  makes  you  a  German." 

"  It  —  it  is  different." 

"  It  is  the  same  thing." 

"  Frieda !  Stop !  You  must  not  put  such  ideas 
in  my  mind." 


180 


CHAPTER    XVI 

THE   PATHWAY    TO    A    STAR 

"  The  phonograph  is  a  wonderful  little  thing, 
but  it  does  n't  satisfy  the  artistic  temperament," 
said  Corrie  one  afternoon.  "  Miss  Fralli  is  long- 
ing for  a  piano." 

"  Why  don't  you  come  down  to  my  apartment?  " 
said  Billy,  eagerly.  "  I  'd  love  to  have  you,  for  I 
am  wild  for  some  music  myself.  Lawson  has  a 
little  grand,  and  although  I  have  not  tried  it,  I 
am  sure  it  would  satisfy  even  Miss  Fralli." 

"  Perfectly  adorable  idea !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Win- 
ters with  enthusiasm.  "  Come  along,  honey,"  she 
smiled,  putting  her  arm  around  Elfrieda's  waist, 
"  I  'm  dying  to  hear  you  sing.  Anyone  who  has 
sighed  for  a  piano  as  you  have  must  be  a  real 
artist." 

Frieda  clapped  her  hands  joyously.  Corrie  said 
to  her  maid :  "  If  Captain  Farquhar  calls,  tell  him  we 
are  all  down  in  Commander  Hartmann's  apartment." 

"What  Farquhar  is  that?"  asked  Billy. 

"  Army  Farquhar,"  replied  Corrie.  "  He  's  a 
181 


MY   COUNTRY 

dear,"  she  added,  turning  to  Elfrieda,  "  you  '11 
adore  him.  He  has  just  been  ordered  to  Washing- 
ton, staff  duty.  Fancy,  keeping  a  man  like  that 
in  Cheyenne!  He  said  he  would  drop  around  this 
afternoon,  but  you  know  how  things  are  now.  I  'm 
afraid  that  if  this  war  with  Germany  does  come 
it  will  make  men  awfully  scarce."  She  led  the  way 
downstairs. 

Elfrieda  sat  down  at  the  piano  and  began  to 
sing  "  Elsa's  Dream."  She  broke  off  in  the  middle 
of  it,  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders,  and  started 
to  play  Chopin.  Mrs.  Winters'  maid  came  in. 

"  There  is  a  telephone  call  for  you,  Madame," 
she  said. 

"  Tell  Central  to  put  it  on  here.  What 's  your 
number,  Billy  ?  "  asked  Corrie. 

"  It 's  a  long-distance  call,  Madame  —  New 
York." 

"  Oh !  I  'm  sorry,  people,  but  I  'm  afraid  I  must 
leave  you.  Long  distance  is  not  to  be  denied."  She 
waved  her  hand  to  them  at  the  door,  and  was 
gone. 

"  Do  you  remember  how  I  used  to  hate  Chopin, 
Billy?  "  said  Elfrieda,  turning  to  him  with  a  smile. 
"  I  said  there  was  n't  any  music  in  him.  I  am  be- 
ginning to  think  now  that  he  has  more  than  all 
the  others  put  together." 

182 


THE   PATHWAY   TO   A  STAR 

She  started  off  again,  in  a  lighter  mood.  She 
sang  half  way  through  the  "  Habannera,"  and  got 
up  with  an  impatient  gesture. 

"  I  don't  know  what 's  the  matter  with  me.  I 
am  miserable  away  from  a  piano,  and  when  I  get 
to  one  I  am  all  out  of  mood.  It  won't  come. 
Can't  sing.  Everything  as  hard  as  nails.  You 
don't  know  what  it  means,  Billy,  to  long  for  some- 
thing, and  never  seem  to  reach  -what  you  are  after." 

"  I  do,  Frieda.  God  knows  I  do  —  are  you  going 
to  hold  me  to  the  promise,  dear?" 

"  Sometimes  I  seem  to  see  it  just  at  hand,"  she 
went  on  quickly,  "  and  then  I  'm  elated,  not  happy. 
At  other  times  I  see  all  my  life  given  up  to  this 
striving  and  straining  after  something  I  am  never 
to  attain.  Youth  passing,  without  the  joy  of  youth. 
Love  pushed  aside.  Motherhood  denied  —  and  then 
I  come  to  a  gray  and  withered  middle  age,  like 
Charlotte,  teaching  and  grinding  away  until  the 
night  folds  down  in  a  merciful  release  from  all 
I  Ve  made  myself,  or  never  made  myself." 

Billy  started  toward  her,  joy  leaping  in  his  eyes. 
He  thought  it  meant  surrender,  but  she  threw  out 
her  hands,  and  walked  over  to  the  window.  She 
snapped  up  the  shade,  and  stood  there,  framed 
against  the  light,  her  back  toward  him. 

"  Don't  think  I  'm  giving  up  because  I  say  all 
183 


MY   COUNTRY 

this  to  you.  I  've  said  it  to  myself  before,  and 
gone  back  and  struggled  on.  I  don't  always  feel 
like  this.  What  I  need  is  to  get  back  to  Ruhlmann. 
She  would  soon  batter  me  into  shape.  But  that 
can't  be.  There  is  no  place  for  that  now.  Yet  it 
is  what  I  long  for.  I  would  never  have  to  think 
then.  She  does  all  the  thinking  for  the  people  she 
is  guiding  along  the  way  to  opera.  Up  at  seven  — 
bang !  —  when  the  knock  comes.  Cold  bath,  that 
takes  the  thoughts  out  of  you.  Callisthenics,  dress, 
eight  o'clock  breakfast  of  gruel  and  zwieback.  If 
my  thought  apparatus  works,  I  long  for  a  cup  of 
coffee,  and  a  roll  —  and  oh !  a  grapefruit !  But 
usually  it  does  n't.  Eight-thirty  to  nine-thirty, 
fresh  air,  alone,  no  lolling  along,  and  no  thinking, 
swing  out  and  back  again,  just  breathing.  Then 
scales  and  scales,  and  tones  and  tones,  and  trills 
and  scales  and  scales  and  tones.  Then  diction  with 
Fraulein,  French,  German,  Italian.  Drink  it  in, 
but  don't  think !  Rest.  Lunch  —  one  chop,  one 
potato,  salad  with  just  oil  and  salt,  one  piece  of 
bread.  More  rest.  More  scales,  more  tones,  then 
roles,  over  and  over  and  over,  and  then,  when 
everything  comes  right,  sometimes  I  am  happy. 
Then  Ruhlmann  kisses  me,  and  says  I  am  her  own 
dear  child,  and  that  we  must  wait  only  a  little 
longer.  It  all  seems  very  near,  then." 

184 


"  It  is  n't  a  normal  way  to  live,"  said  Billy.  "  It 's 
too  much  work  and  no  play.  You  've  shut  out  every- 
thing from  your  life  but  your  music  —  you  've  shut 
out  me." 

"  Music  is  what  I  need,"  she  said.  "  It 's  my  life 
and  I  have  to  live  it.  I  must  get  back  —  why  am  I 
here  —  why  did  I  ever  come  ?  "  and  she  looked  at  him 
with  moist  eyes  suddenly  full  of  doubt,  and  trouble. 
The  tears  were  near,  but  Elfrieda  fought  them  back, 
and  the  smile  came  out,  and  sent  them  scurrying. 

"  Sing  to  me  again,"  said  Billy. 

"  Do  you  want  to  hear  me  ?  " 

"  More  than  anything  in  the  world,  dear." 

She  started  "  Elsa  "  again. 

"  Not  that,  sing  me  something  from  my  youth," 
he  said.  "  There  was  a  little  song  you  used  to 
play  when  you  were  a  child.  I  can  see  you  now, 
sitting  up  so  straight  and  rebellious,  swearing  you 
would  n't  sing,  but  going  right  on  with  it  just  the 
same,  strumming  the  piano  with  one  eye  on  your 
music  and  the  other  on  the  clock." 

"  I  'm  afraid  that 's  rather  indefinite,"  smiled  El- 
frieda. "  That 's  the  way  I  used  to  play  everything 
then.  It  is  a  wonder,  looking  back,  that  I  should 
have  gone  as  far  as  I  have." 

"  It  was  Aunt  Lottie,"  said  Billy. 

"  She  did  not  put  this  gnawing  ambition  in  me." 
185 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  She  knew  it  was  coming,  and  made  you  ready 
for  it.  You  owe  a  lot  to  that  little  song.  How  your 
mother  drove  you  at  it." 

"  Can't  you  think  what  it  was?  " 

"  No.    Wait !  "    He  began  humming. 

"  It  is  the  first  song  I  sang  for  Ruhlmann,"  she 
said,  and  began  to  sing,  very  softly: 

Ach,  wie  ist's  moglich  dann,  dass  ich  dich  lassen  kann: 
Hab'  dich  von  Herzen  lieb,  das  glaube  mir! 

"That's  it,"  cried  Billy,  looking  at  her  with 
hunger  in  his  eyes.  "  I  can  see  you  in  the  very  little 
blue  dress  you  used  to  wear,  singing  away  through 
your  tears  of  rage,  only  you  would  n't  sing  it  in 
German  then.  Aunt  Lottie  could  n't  force  you  to 
do  it.  It  used  to  make  the  family  wild." 

She  was  laughing  with  him  now.  "  I  remember, 
I  remember,"  she  said  joyously.  "  Oh,  Billy,  those 
were  happy  days."  She  sang  the  words  then  in 
English : 

How  can  I  leave  thee,  while  I  do  love  thee  so? 
Thou  art  my  all  in  all,  truly  my  own! 
Thou  hast  this  soul  of  mine  so  firmly  lock'd  in  thine, 
That  my  heart  e'er  will  be  thine,  love,  alone. 

"  Frieda,"  he  said  suddenly,  "  let 's  go  away  to- 
gether, and  spend  a  whole  day  in  the  country,  a 
day  like  the  last  one  we  spent  in  the  Tiergarten." 

186 


THE   PATHWAY   TO   A  STAR 

She  jumped  up,  shouting,  and  clapping  her  hands 
like  a  child.  "  Billy,  you  do  think  of  the  grandest 
things." 

"Then  you '11  go?" 

"  It  will  be  glorious,  a  whole  day,  out  in  the 
woods  and  the  fields,  and  maybe  we  shall  find  some 
flowers.  The  spring  is  coming  on.  There  are 
robins  in  the  park,  and  in  the  open  country  I  'm  sure 
there  will  be  meadow  larks." 

"  You  're  just  as  fond  of  birds  as  ever,  are  n't 
you,  dear?" 

"  I  love  them  all,"  said  Frieda.  "  I  always  did. 
Do  you  remember  the  frozen  sparrow  you  brought 
home  one  day,  and  how  I  nursed  it,  and  what  a  pest 
it  became  ?  " 

"  I  remember  everything  about  you,"  he  said 
simply,  "  everything." 

"  The  horse  trough,  where  you  threw  my  books. 
I  can  picture  you  now." 

"  There  is  n't  a  thing  about  you,  in  the  old  times, 
that  I  can't  see  as  vividly  as  if  it  were  today.  I  re- 
member every  dress  you  ever  wore,  the  very  ribbons 
in  your  hair." 

She  sat  with  her  slim,  delicate  hands  in  her  lap, 
her  head  bent  toward  him,  a  smile  in  her  eyes  and 
on  her  arching  lips. 

"  You  are  a  queer  one,  Billy,"  she  said.  "  You 
187 


MY   COUNTRY 

really  seem  to  care  for  me,  to  think  of  all  those 
things." 

"  Care  for  you !  Frieda,  I  'm  mad  for  you. 
The  fire  that  you  kindled  in  me  long  ago  is  burning 
as  fiercely  now  as  it  did  then.  I  sometimes  feel 
that  it  will  consume  me."  He  started  up,  and  went 
to  her. 

There  was  something  in  his  eyes  that  made  her 
raise  her  hand.  The  eyes  that  could  at  times  be 
cold  as  ice  now  brimmed  with  tenderness  that  grew 
to  mellow  love-light  as  she  looked,  then  turned  to 
flaming  passion.  She  dared  not  have  him  near  her 
with  those  eyes. 

"  Remember  your  promise,  Billy,"  she  laughed, 
and  put  the  big  divan  between  them. 

He  sank  into  a  chair,  shaking,  and  raised  his 
hands  in  a  gesture  of  hopelessness. 

"  Are  you  going  to  let  this  music  kill  us  both, 
girl?" 

"  Not  kill  us,  Billy,  purify  us,  exhalt  us." 

"  I  am  no  Stoic.  I  do  not  want  to  crucify  my- 
self on  an  unattainable  ideal.  I  want  to  strive,  to 
reach  the  heights  if  I  can,  but  I  want  to  live  by 
the  way.  I  want  you." 

"  I  'm  with  you  in  the  spirit,  Billy  dear,  and 
have  been  always,"  she  said. 

"  I  don't  want  you  with  me  in  the  spirit.  I  want 
1 88 


THE   PATHWAY   TO   A  STAR 

you  with  me  in  the  flesh,  all  the  time,  day  and 
night,  today,  tomorrow.  I  've  wanted  you  all 
the  yesterdays,  and  you  would  n't  come  to  me.  I 
want  your  hair,  and  eyes,  and  arms,  I  want  all  of 
your  beautiful  self  to  love  like  a  man  and  not  like 
a  saint,  I  want  you,  Frieda,  you,  you,  can't  you 
understand  ?  " 

"  The  promise !  the  promise,  Billy,  you  're  break- 
ing your  promise.  Can't  you  see  that  I  must  n't 
let  you  talk  to  me  like  this?" 

"Why  not?  It's  my  love.  I've  nurtured  it  a 
thousand  nights  at  sea,  under  the  stars.  It 's  been 
all  that  I  've  had,  but  my  work,  and  that  has  been 
a  symbol  of  my  love.  It 's  mine,  I  tell  you,  it  has 
been  mine  for  years,  and  I  have  a  right  to  do  with 
it  as  I  please,  I  have  a  right  to  give  it  to  you." 

"  But  I  have  no  right  to  take  it,  Billy,  can't  you 
see?" 

"  I  can't,  God  knows  I  can't." 

"  My  pathway  leads  me  to  another  star  than 
yours,  Billy.  We  go  by  different  ways,  and  I  can 
only  greet  you  from  afar,  and  wish  you  well." 

"  We  could  go  on  together." 

"  That  could  not  be." 

"  It  could." 

"  Would  you  give  up  your  work  for  me,  Billy? 
Would  you  give  up  your  career  ?  " 

189 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  The  navy  ?  "  he  asked,  looking  up  quickly. 

"  That  is  your  career." 

"  I  could  not  give  that  up,"  said  Billy,  "  it  is  all 
I  have,  all  I  know." 

"  So  is  music  all  that  I  have,  all  that  I  know." 

"  There  is  a  difference." 

"  Not  the  slightest." 

"  You  would  not  have  to  give  it  up." 

"  One  has  to  give  up  everything  for  music,  Billy. 
The  way  is  long  and  hard,  and  one  must  travel  all 
alone." 

"  I  would  not  ask  you  to  give  it  up,  dear,"  he 
said,  steadying  his  voice.  "  I  require  no  sacrifice 
of  you,  I  only  want  just  you.  You  could  sing, 
and  satisfy  the  longings  of  your  soul,  and  some 
day  reach  the  heart's  desire,  and  we  could  be  to- 
gether when  the  fates  were  kind  to  us,  and  have 
each  other  for  a  little  while  at  least  before  we 
go." 

She  answered  him  at  the  piano,  and  as  she  sang 
a  great  contentment  came  to  him,  and  he  was 
happy  to  be  near  her. 

She  sprang  up  in  the  middle  of  a  note,  and 
danced  toward  him  with  her  hands  outstretched. 

"  We  '11  go  in  the  car,  Billy,  out  into  the  coun- 
try, and  when  we  have  ridden  far  away  from  the 
city,  far  away  from  everything — " 

190 


THE   PATHWAY   TO   A   STAR 

"  We  '11  get  out,  and  take  a  long  walk  in  the 
woods." 

"  And  pick  flowers." 

"  And  hear  the  birds  sing." 

"  And  cross  a  little  brook,  and  watch  the  tad- 
poles turning  into  baby  frogs." 

"  And  have  our  dinner  at  some  farmhouse." 

"  And  —  and  —  " 

"  Talk  about  ourselves." 

''  That 's  what  I  was  trying  to  say." 

"  And  you  will  release  me  from  my  promise?  " 

"  Ah  —  " 

"  Just  for  one  day,  one  little  day?  "  he  pleaded. 

"  And  you  will  be  good  forever  after?  " 

"  If  I  must." 

"  Then  for  one  day." 

"  You  are  an  angel." 

"  We  shall  go  in  the  morning." 

"  Bright  and  early." 

"  Oh,  I  forgot.  We  shall  have  to  ask  Mrs. 
Winters." 

"  That 's  so.    You  are  her  guest.    Confound  it!  " 

She  looked  at  him  keenly,  sideways  through  her 
narrowed  eyelids.  "  You  would  n't  want  to  take 
Mrs.  Winters?" 

"And  spoil  everything?"  he  demanded.  "We 
must  find  some  way  —  " 

191 


MY  COUNTRY 

She  smiled  at  him,  a  deep  peace  somewhere  in  the 
heart  of  her,  and  put  her  arm  upon  his  shoulder,  just 
as  Mrs.  Winters  came  gaily  in. 

"Awfully  sorry  to  have  kept  you  waiting,"  she 
said,  and  added  to  herself,  as  she  glanced  at  the  two 
flushed  and  eager  faces  before  her,  "  how  time  does 
fly  with  some  people !  " 

Billy  and  Frieda  murmured  their  guilty  regrets. 

"  Awfully  important  call,"  explained  Corrie. 
"  I  'm  sorry,  but  I  must  go  away  this  evening.  You 
won't  mind,  will  you  dear?"  she  asked,  turning  to 
Miss  Fralli. 

"  I  shall  miss  you,  of  course,"  said  Elfrieda, 
"  but  I  shall  get  along  quite  all  right,  I  'm  sure." 

"  I  '11  look  after  her,"  Billy  hastened  to  say,  his 
face  beaming.  "  We  have  planned  to  take  a  little 
trip  into  the  country  one  day  soon." 

"  It 's  too  bad  you  won't  be  able  to  go  with  us," 
said  Elfrieda,  "  we  're  going  to  have  such  a  jolly 
time." 

"  I  may  be  back,"  replied  Corrie,  slowly,  looking 
at  Billy. 

"  Oh !  I  do  hope  so,"  Elfrieda  smiled. 

"  Here  I  am  going  to  Namaschet  on  Hannibal  G. 
White's  business,"  thought  Corrie,  "  and  neglecting 
my  own.  This  looks  like  a  bad  time  to  be  leaving 
an  Italian  temperament  loose." 

192 


CHAPTER    XVII 

A    WILDCAT   IN   A   CAGE 

Mrs.  Winters  missed  one  train  in  New  York,  and 
another  one  in  Boston,  so  that  it  was  nearly  six 
o'clock  when  she  stepped  out  on  the  platform  of  the 
little  station,  and  looked  about  her,  at  the  white 
steeple  of  the  church,  and  the  broad  main  street  of 
the  town  curving  off  to  the  left  between  two  lines 
of  gnarled  and  aged  trees. 

Mrs.  Sabiston  met  her  with  a  runabout,  and  drove 
her  to  "  Rock  Crest."  She  was  cordial  and  gracious, 
and  nobody  would  have  imagined,  to  see  them  laugh- 
ing and  chatting  like  old  friends,  that  the  two  women 
had  never  met  before. 

At  the  iron  gate  which  guarded  the  Sabiston 
estate,  Margaretha  herself  got  out,  and  closed  it, 
and  locked  it ;  then  stepped  back  into  the  car.  They 
rode  through  the  woods,  and  Corrie  thought  it  was 
a  wild  and  unattractive  place,  until  they  passed  the 
stable  and  garage,  and  came  out  on  the  driveway 
in  front  of  the  house,  on  the  high  plateau  at  the  top 
of  the  cliff.  The  sweep  of  the  blue  sea,  tumbling 

193 


MY    COUNTRY 

and  roaring  against  the  rocks  below,  fascinated  her, 
and  when  they  had  entered  the  drawing  room,  and 
Mrs.  Sabiston  left  her  for  a  moment,  she  went  to 
the  window,  and  looked  out  across  the  broad  piazza 
upon  the  vast  expanse  of  billows  spreading  out,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  see,  to  the  hazy  sky-line  where 
cloud  and  ocean  blended  in  a  shade  of  gray  that 
Corrie  thought  would  be  adorable  in  a  gown. 

They  dined  alone,  at  seven,  although  she  sensed 
the  presence  of  other  persons  in  the  house,  and 
wondered  who  they  were,  and  why  they  did  not 
join  them  at  table,  and  at  the  fireside  in  the  drawing 
room  afterwards. 

They  talked  of  everything,  except  the  business 
affairs  of  Mr.  White,  that  Corrie  had  come  to  talk 
about,  of  the  Far  East,  of  Paris,  and  Berlin,  and 
Mrs.  Winters  discovered  that  Mrs.  Sabiston  also  was 
a  woman  of  the  world. 

They  went  to  bed  at  ten  o'clock,  and  Corrie 
dropped  off  to  sleep  almost  immediately,  for  she 
was  tired  after  her  long  trip. 

She  had  breakfast  alone,  in  her  room,  and  it 
was  nearly  eleven  o'clock  when  she  went  down  to 
the  drawing  room,  which  Mrs.  Sabiston  used  as 
a  living  room,  still  feeling  that  delicious  drowsi- 
ness inspired  by  the  sea. 

Mrs.  Sabiston  was  in  an  arm  chair  by  the  fire, 
194 


A    WILDCAT    IN    A    CAGE 

reading  the  morning  papers,  a  pile  of  which  lay 
on  the  floor  beside  her.  She  picked  them  up,  and 
put  them  down  upon  a  small  table,  in  an  alcove, 
where  there  was  a  telephone  and  writing  materials, 
and  then  hurried  forward  to  welcome  her  warmly. 

And  then  she  turned,  to  introduce  to  her  a  man 
who  had  left  his  deep  chair  by  the  fire,  and  who 
crossed  the  room  with  a  long,  quick,  free-swinging 
stride. 

Corrie  suppressed  an  exclamation  of  surprise  as 
she  took  the  narrow,  sinewy,  long-fingered  hand 
he  held  out  to  her,  and  started  as  he  smiled  and 
said: 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  meet  you,  Mrs.  Winters." 

Where  had  she  seen  that  smile,  heard  that  voice 
before?  She  looked  at  him  more  closely,  and  saw 
a  tall,  long-limbed,  blue-eyed,  blonde  man,  with  a 
high,  arched  nose,  and  a  strong,  firm  mouth. 

He  wore  a  heavy  beard,  and  it  was  quite  evident 
that  he  was  German,  although  he  spoke  without 
an  accent.  This  must  be  the  man  Mr.  White  had 
told  her  about,  but  it  was  certain  she  had  never 
seen  him  before,  for  Corrie's  mental  card-index  of 
men  had  never  failed  to  catalogue  everyone  she 
had  ever  met.  Yet  he  reminded  her  strongly  of 
some  one  she  had  known,  but  whose  name  and 
face  eluded  her  memory. 

195 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Captain  von  Hagenah  is  very  busy,"  explained 
Mrs.  Sabiston,  "  and  if  you  are  willing,  he  would 
like  to  speak  with  you  at  once."  She  turned,  as 
if  to  leave  them. 

"  Do  not  go,  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  he  said  quickly, 
"  I  may  need  your  assistance,  as  you  are  familiar 
with  much  of  this  business." 

Mrs.  Sabiston  inclined  her  pretty  head,  and  took 
a  seat  near  the  fire,  warming  her  hands  at  the  blaze, 
for  though  the  room  was  not  cold,  she  was  very 
lightly  clad  in  a  plain  dress  of  silk,  that  fell  from 
her  bare  throat  to  the  turn  of  the  calf  of  her  leg 
in  a  long,  graceful  line,  as  soft  as  a  cobweb. 

Corrie  sat  down. 

"  If  you  please,  Mrs.  Winters,"  said  Captain  von 
Hagenah,  crisply,  "  let  us  get  this  business  over 
with  as  quickly  as  possible.  Time  is  precious." 

He  opened  a  large  leather  bag  which  Corrie  had 
noticed  on  the  floor,  by  the  chair  where  he  had 
been  sitting,  and  placed  upon  the  table  in  the  middle 
of  the  room  several  bundles  of  papers. 

"  My  letters !  "  exclaimed  Corrie. 

"  Do  you  recognize  them?  "  he  laughed. 

"  I  ought  to,"  she  said,  picking  up  several,  and 
examining  them,  "  they  are  the  letters  I  wrote  to 
Mr.  White." 

"Admirable  letters,  Mrs.  Winters,"  he  said. 
196 


A   WILDCAT    IN   A    CAGE 

"  Admirable  in  every  way.  They  contain  just  the  in- 
formation we  wanted." 

"  I  did  not  expect  any  one  else  to  have  my  let- 
ters," said  Corrie,  slowly,  her  forehead  in  a  frown. 
"  Here  are  some  I  had  quite  forgotten  about." 

"  Your  first  report,  so  far  as  I  can  judge  by 
the  papers  I  have  here,  and  I  am  supposed  to  have 
a  complete  file  of  them,  was  made  ten  years,  eight 
months  and  sixteen  days  ago,"  said  von  Hagenah, 
glancing  at  a  date. 

Mrs.  Winters  seized  the  letter  he  held  out  to 
her,  and  looked  at  it. 

"  Heavens!  "  she  gasped,  "  how  the  years  do  slip 
by,  Mrs.  Sabiston." 

"  Really,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston,  languidly,  "  I 
had  n't  noticed  it." 

Corrie  smiled  sweetly,  with  her  lips  closed.  In- 
side her  mouth  she  was  secretly  biting  her  tongue. 

"That  is  the  first  time,"  she  thought,  "that  a 
woman  ever  put  one  over  on  me  like  that,"  and 
Mrs.  Sabiston,  without  in  the  least  realizing  it, 
had  made  an  enemy,  and  sharpened  that  enemy's 
wits. 

"If  you  will  examine  these  reports,  Mrs.  Win- 
ters," said  von  Hagenah,  "  you  will  find  that  they 
cover  some  forty-odd  officers  in  the  American  navy 
most  minutely.  There  are  some  additional  details 

197 


MY   COUNTRY 

that  I  require,  and  these  I  desire  to  obtain  from 
you  personally." 

"  I  understood  it  was  something  like  that,"  said 
Corrie,  doubtfully.  "  Mr.  White  called  me  on  the 
long-distance,  and  asked  me  if  I  would  n't  run  down 
here  to  see  a  friend  of  his.  He  had  arranged  for 
me  to  come  some  time  ago,  and  Mrs.  Sabiston  had 
invited  me,  but  I  presume,"  she  added,  looking  over 
toward  the  fireplace,  "  that  she  has  been  ill." 

"  I  was  delayed,"  explained  von  Hagenah,  and 
Mrs.  Sabiston  smiled  at  Corrie. 

"  I  thought  from  what  he  told  me,"  said  Corrie, 
"  that  Mr.  White  would  be  here  too.  I  don't  like 
to  talk  about  these  things  to  strangers." 

"  Talking  to  me  is  precisely  as  though  you  talked 
to  him,"  said  von  Hagenah,  suavely. 

"  Indeed  ?  "  said  Corrie.  "  It  does  n't  seem  quite 
the  same  to  me." 

"  It  is,  I  assure  you." 

"  The  information  I  gave  to  Mr.  White  was  — 
well,  quite  confidential." 

"  Very  confidential,  Mrs.  Winters." 

"  Very  well,  ask  your  questions,  and  I  shall  try 
to  answer  them." 

"  You  have  some  reports  here  on  Waltermeyer. 
The  last  one  was  six  —  no,  five  months  and  three 
days  ago,  at  Honolulu.  He  was  still  gambling 

198 


A    WILDCAT    IN    A    CAGE 

heavily,  his  wife  was  living  beyond  his  means,  and  he 
was  deeply  in  debt.  He  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and 
appointed  to  the  Naval  Academy  from  North 
Dakota.  He  is  of  German  descent,  Hessian  stock. 
Admirable  report." 

"  Well,"  asked  Corrie,  "  what  more  do  you  want 
to  know  about  him  ?  " 

Von  Hagenah  passed  quickly  around  the  table, 
and  looked  intently  into  her  eyes. 

"  Where  on  earth,"  thought  Mrs.  Winters,  "  have 
I  known  this  man  ?  " 

"  Confound  it !  "  said  von  Hagenah,  "  I  really 
hate  to  do  this  sort  of  thing,  but  from  what  you 
know  of  Captain  Waltermeyer  —  is  his  financial 
condition  such  —  could  he  be  reached  that  way,  for 
say  ten,  fifteen,  twenty  thousand  dollars?  " 

"  What  a  remarkable  question,"  said  Mrs.  Win- 
ters. "  Mr.  White  never  asked  me  things  like  that. 
Why,  I  don't  think  that  question  is  proper  at  all. 
I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing." 

"  It  is  one  of  the  questions  I  desire  to  ask,  and  I 
want  an  answer." 

Corrie's  cheeks  pinkened.  She  fell  to  studying 
the  design  in  the  rug. 

"  No,  Captain  von  Hagenah,"  she  answered,  look- 
ing up,  "  I  'm  afraid  not." 

"  Afraid?    Are  you  certain?  " 
199 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Yes,  I  am  certain.  I  don't  think  poor  Walty 
could  be  reached  in  any  way.  You  see,  he  com- 
mitted suicide  at  Singapore  about  four  months 
ago.  I  happened  to  be  there  at  the  time,  and  at- 
tended the  funeral  at  the  American  consulate.  I 
nearly  cried  my  eyes  out.  He  was  a  dear." 

"  Really,  Mrs.  Winters,"  said  von  Hagenah, 
brusquely,  "  I  have  n't  time  for  trivialities.  There 
are  similar  reports  here  as  to  other  officers.  Could 
any  of  them  be  reached  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Corrie,  smiling  sweetly,  "  I  think 
nearly  all  of  them  could  be  reached." 

"  Blits! "  he  cried  eagerly,  banging  his  fist  upon 
the  table.  "How?" 

"  By  cable,"  beamed  Mrs.  Winters,  "  or,  if  you 
are  not  in  a  great  hurry,  by  mail." 

Von  Hagenah  looked  at  Mrs.  Sabiston  help- 
lessly. "  You  don't  seem  to  understand  me,  Mrs. 
Winters,"  he  went  on  after  a  pause.  "  Here  is 
a  report  on  Hollister  much  like  the  one  on 
Waltermeyer." 

"  Oh,  Hollister.  He  's  a  dear,  I  assure  you,  a 
perfect  dear." 

"  Financial  condition  very  bad,  cards,  etc.,"  von 
Hagenah  was  reading. 

"That's  true,"  said  Mrs.  Winters.  "Still,  I 
suppose  I  should  n't  have  written  that  about  dear 

200 


A1   WILDCAT    IN   A    CAGE 

old  Hollister.  He  is  positively  the  worst  poker 
player  I  ever  saw,  and  the  most  persistent." 

"In  debt?" 

"  Heavily.  Always  has  been.  Spends  his  money 
a  year  or  so  before  he  gets  it.  Owes  everybody." 

"  Take  Hollister,  for  instance,"  said  von  Ha- 
genah,  searching  her  eyes  again.  "  Could  he  be 
reached  with  —  money  ?  " 

"Reached?    By  whom?" 

"  Well,  by  White,  say." 

"  Are  you  asking  me  if  Hollister  would  take 
money  from  Mr.  White,  or  anybody  else  he  did  n't 
know?" 

"  Precisely.    Ten,  twenty  thousand  dollars,  say." 

"  Jimmy  Hollister  never  borrows  money  from 
anybody  but  his  friends,"  said  Corrie,  decidedly. 

"  This  would  n't  be  a  loan,  but  a  gift." 

"  He  would  n't  do  it,"  said  Corrie,  firmly. 

"  Not  if  he  was,  as  this  report  shows,  heavily 
involved  financially?  " 

"  Not  if  he  owed  the  sum  total  of  the  entire  poker 
debt  of  the  United  States  Navy." 

"  You  know  him  well  enough  to  say  '  no '  ?  " 

"  I  know  him  well  enough  to  have  said  *  no  '  three 
times,"  smiled  Corrie. 

Von  Hagenah  looked  at  Mrs.  Sabiston  again  and 
raised  his  eyebrows.  He  drummed  upon  the  table 

201 


MY   COUNTRY 

for  a  moment  with  his  knuckles,  staring  through  the 
window  at  the  sea,  that  was  changing  to  a  deep, 
slaty  gray.  His  face  was  darker  than  the  March 
sky.  Presently  he  turned. 

"  About  Hartmann,  then  ?  "  he  asked,  lowering 
his  eyes.  "  Lieut.-Commander  Wilhelm  Hart- 
mann." 

"  Don't  know  him,"  said  Corrie,  shortly. 

"  You  Ve  given  us  some  highly  interesting  re- 
ports about  him,  Mrs.  Winters.  Two  of  the  recent 
ones  are  dated  at  Shanghai,  one  at  Manila  and  one 
at  Honolulu.  The  last  reports  are  a  code  cable 
from  Hong  Kong,  and  a  code  telegram  from  Wash- 
ington announcing  his  arrival  there." 

"  Oh,  you  mean  Billy  Hartmann,"  laughed  Corrie. 
"  For  a  minute  I  could  n't  think  whom  you  were 
talking  about." 

"  Those  reports  are  gratifying  —  more  gratifying 
to  me  than  I  could  tell  you,  Mrs.  Winters.  You 
speak  of  his  strong  love  for  the  Fatherland,  his  pro- 
nounced German  sympathies." 

"  German !  "  said  Corrie,  raising  her  head  quickly, 
and  looking  von  Hagenah  squarely  in  the  eyes, 
"  why,  you  are  German,  are  n't  you  ?  I  had  almost 
forgotten  that.  And  Mrs.  Sabiston,  you  spoke  to 
me  so  intimately  last  night  of  Berlin,  surely,  you  are 
German,  too." 

202 


A    WILDCAT    IN    A    CAGE 

"  I  am  asking  you  about  Hartmann,"  said  von 
Hagenah,  sharply.  "  Your  reports  on  him  are  ac- 
curate? You  know  him?" 

"  Know  him !  "  echoed  Corrie,  all  smiles. 

'  You  speak  here  of  the  coolness  that  has  sprung 
up  toward  him  in  the  American  navy  because  of 
these  German  sympathies.  He  is  for  his  Fatherland, 
Mrs.  Winters?" 

Von  Hagenah  took  a  swift  step  toward  her,  and 
she  could  hear  him  breathe. 

"  For  the  Fatherland  ?  "  she  repeated.  She  put 
her  head  on  one  side,  and  wrinkled  her  forehead. 
"  Umm,  yes  —  and  still  —  " 

"  He  must  be  for  his  Fatherland,"  cried  von  Ha- 
genah, throwing  out  his  arms.  "  He  must  be !  He 
must  be !  I  feel  it,  I  know  it,  my  heart  tells  me  that 
he  is  true  to  the  land  that  gave  him  birth." 

His  voice  was  vibrant  with  exultation.  Mrs. 
Sabiston  had  sprung  to  her  feet,  and  she  stood  now, 
her  head  thrown  back,  her  delicate  nostrils  quivering. 

Over  Corrie's  aristocratic  features  there  gradually 
spread  a  very  blank  expression  that  her  friends 
knew  and  dreaded.  It  was  her  poker  face.  She 
covertly  studied  the  two  faces  before  her  as  she 
would  have  studied  the  faces  across  a  card  table. 
She  suddenly  stepped  forward,  her  shapely  body 
drawn  up  very  straight  and  tense. 

203 


MY   COUNTRY 

"For  Germany!" 

"  Thank  God,"  said  von  Hagenah. 

"  Yes !  Yes !  for  Germany,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston, 
her  blue  eyes  glistening. 

"  For  Germany  ?  "  repeated  Corrie,  the  words  in 
a  question. 

"ForDeutschland!" 

"  So  that  is  what  you  people  are  up  to  ?  "  said 
Corrie,  flashing  a  triumphant  look  at  Mrs.  Sabiston, 
as  if  to  say,  "  you  will  *  put  one  over '  on  me,  will 
you?" 

"  It  is  terribly  stupid  of  me  not  to  have  seen 
through  it  at  once.  I  shall  certainly  have  to  speak 
to  our  friend  Mr.  White  about  it.  He  has  grossly 
violated  my  confidence.  He  should  n't  have  sent 
me  here.  Why  did  he  send  me  here?  ...  I  see  it 
now,  White  's  a  part  of  this,  that 's  it,  there  can 
be  no  other  explanation.  And  I  have  been  doing 
this  for  years  and  years."  She  stopped  suddenly, 
and  limply  sank  into  a  chair. 

Von  Hagenah  was  restlessly  pacing  the  floor, 
scowling,  doubling  up  his  great  fists,  his  body  heav- 
ing with  agitation  and  resentment.  He  stopped, 
and  stood  looking  down  at  her. 

"  This  has  gone  far  enough,  Mrs.  Winters,"  he 
said,  speaking  rapidly.  "  We  must  reach  an  under- 
standing. Let  me  repeat,  what  you  tell  me  is  told 

204 


A   WILDCAT   IN   A   CAGE 

in  confidence.  It  is  precisely  as  though  you  dealt 
directly  with  White." 

"  I  have  no  information  for  Germany,"  said 
Corrie. 

"  You  need  not  try  to  drive  a  bargain,  Mrs. 
Winters,"  he  said  icily.  "  It  is  not  a  question  of 
money.  You  can  name  your  own  price." 

"  Price ! "  gasped  Corrie,  and  the  blood  poured 
into  her  face,  as  though  some  one  had  lashed  her 
with  a  whip.  "  Money ! "  she  said,  and  fell  to 
trembling. 

"  One  would  think  you  had  never  taken  it,"  said 
von  Hagenah,  sarcastically.  "  Really,  Mrs.  Winters, 
you  are  rather  over-doing  it,  you  know." 

"  I  shall  not  stay  here  to  be  insulted  like 
this,"  said  Corrie,  and  stood  up,  her  whole  body 
quivering. 

"  Tausend! "  said  von  Hagenah  to  Mrs.  Sabiston, 
over  his  shoulder. 

"  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  said  Corrie,  ignoring  him, 
looking  through  him,  not  in  the  least  observing 
him,  as  though  he  had  not  been  in  the  room  at  all, 
"  will  you  kindly  have  the  car  come  around  for 
me  ?  I  '11  wait  at  the  station  for  the  first  train 
out." 

Mrs.  Sabiston's  eyelashes  fluttered,  and  she 
crossed  her  knees,  but  she  said  nothing.  Corrie 

205 


MY    COUNTRY 

looked  at  her,  and  then  was  forced  to  turn  to  von 
Hagenah,  who  was  smiling  cynically. 

"  I  want  no  money  from  Germany,"  she  said. 
"  Let  that  be  understood  between  us.  It  is  final." 

She  turned,  and  started  to  the  door. 

Von  Hagenah,  in  three  strides,  reached  it  first, 
turned  the  key  in  the  lock,  and  put  it  in  his  pocket. 

"  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  said  Corrie,  "  I  must  appeal 
to  you.  Will  you  kindly  call  the  car?  " 

"  For  a  woman  who  has  been  on  the  payroll  of 
the  German  Secret  Service,  naval  branch  and  For- 
eign Affairs  branch,  for  nearly  eleven  years,  you 
seem  to  have  taken  quite  a  sudden  aversion  to 
German  money,"  said  von  Hagenah.  He  spoke 
to  her  as  he  would  have  spoken  to  a  man. 

"  There  is  only  one  word  in  which  to  answer 
a  charge  like  that,"  said  Corrie.  "  It  is  a  lie." 

"  Eleven  years,"  mused  von  Hagenah,  aloud, 
"  and  she  waxes  indignant.  I  never  understood 
women,  and  never  expect  to." 

"  I  never  until  now  heard  of  the  German  Secret 
Service,"  said  Corrie.  Mrs.  Sabiston  was  standing 
by  the  fireplace. 

"  You  must  have  suspected  what  you  were  doing 
for  White.  Was  he  paying  you  all  those  years 
for  nothing?"  demanded  von  Hagenah,  his  blue 
eyes  suddenly  hard  and  cold,  his  voice  a  sneer. 

206 


A    WILDCAT    IN    A    CAGE 

"  I  sent  him  little  scraps  of  information  every 
now  and  then,  yes,"  said  Corrie.  "  About 
people  —  " 

"  And  other  things,"  said  von  Hagenah.  "  You 
gave  us  the  best  photographs  we  have  of  the 
Panama  fortifications." 

"  Good  God !  "  cried  Corrie,  "  did  those  go  to  the 
German  Secret  Service?  Mr.  White  thought  he 
would  like  to  have  some  pictures  of  the  guns  down 
there,  so  I  got  a  friend  of  mine  to  take  me  around. 
I  had  a  little  camera  with  me,  and  whenever  I  saw 
something  that  he  seemed  to  brag  about  I  got  him 
to  put  me  up  on  a  gun,  or  something,  and  then 
he  snapped  me." 

"  Gescheit!  "  said  von  Hagenah.  "  Mrs.  Winters, 
you  are  a  smart  woman.  You  gave  us  the  first 
information  we  had  about  the  Copperton  electrical 
fire  control." 

"  I  got  that  at  a  dance  at  the  Mare  Island  navy 
yard  one  night,"  said  Mrs.  Winters.  "  One  of  my 
friends  was  talking  about  it,  and  I  did  n't  under- 
stand, and  he  drew  a  sort  of  sketch  of  it  on  the 
back  of  my  card  for  me.  Mr.  White  wrote  me 
that  he  was  awfully  interested." 

"  He  was,"  said  von  Hagenah.  "  It  was  brilliant. 
Mrs.  Winters,  I  don't  know  of  any  woman  who 
has  done  better  work  along  these  lines  than  you 

207 


MY   COUNTRY 

have.    You  've  been  one  of  the  shrewdest  spies  we 
have  had." 

"  Spy ! "  She  sank  to  the  floor,  and  buried  her 
face  in  her  hands. 

"  You  've  given  us  the  best  information  we  have 
about  the  American  navy  and  personnel.  And  we 
need  it,  now  that  war  —  " 

"  I  did  n't  know,  I  did  n't  know,"  moaned  Corrie, 
struggling  to  her  feet.  "  So  help  me  God  I  did  n't 
know.  I  had  to  live.  I  did  n't  know  what  to  do. 
Mr.  White  offered  me  a  way  to  travel,  to  make 
money.  He  had  large  business  interests  in  con- 
nection with  the  navy,  he  said,  contracts  and  things. 
He  was  interested  in  it.  He  wanted  to  know  all 
he  could  about  it,  about  the  men.  I  didn't  think 
that  what  I  told  him  was  important.  I  did  n't  know 
I  was  betraying  my  country." 

"  Don't  be  theatrical,  Mrs.  Winters.  Let  us  be 
practical.  You  shall  have  all  the  money  you  want, 
all  the  hats  and  gowns,  and  jewels.  Everything  a 
woman  like  you  must  have,  without  which  life  would 
be  unendurable.  There  are  two  men  I  must  reach 
through  you.  One  is  Hartmann,  the  other  is  Wallis. 
I  want  information,  I  want  co-operation.  And  you 
can  name  your  own  price  —  and  have  it  in  gold." 

"  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  said  Corrie,  "  will  you  kindly 
call  the  car,  or  shall  I  walk  to  the  station  ?  " 

208 


A    WILDCAT   IN   A   CAGE 

She  stood  waiting  for  a  moment,  then  threw  bade 
her  head,  and  started  toward  the  door. 

Von  Hagenah  exchanged  a  glance  with  Mrs. 
Sabiston. 

"  She  will  cause  trouble.  She  must  not  leave  the 
house,"  his  eyes  said. 

She  nodded,  that  she  understood. 

Corrie  tried  the  door,  and  came  back  by  the  table. 

"  Give  me  that  key." 

She  looked  from  Mrs.  Sabiston  to  von  Hagenah, 
saw  what  was  in  their  eyes,  then  turned,  and  ran  to 
the  window. 

Von  Hagenah  was  there  first,  and  met  her  with 
his  arm  around  her  waist. 

"  Be  reasonable,  my  dear  Mrs.  Winters." 

She  shook  him  off. 

"  We  have  paid  you  all  these  years.  We  have  de- 
pended on  you." 

"  You  are  a  fool." 

"  You  may  name  the  sum,  any  sum." 

"  There  has  n't  been  enough  money  made,"  said 
Corrie.  "  I  betray  no  more  friends.  From  now  on 
I  shall  try  to  undo  the  injuries  I  have  done." 

Her  glance  fell  upon  the  table,  covered  with  its 
litter  of  letters. 

She  sped  across  the  room,  made  a  basket  of  her 
dress,  swept  into  it  every  scrap  of  paper  there,  and 

209 


MY   COUNTRY 

was  at  the  fireplace  in  one  swift,  frantic  bound. 
Into  the  flames  she  threw  the  literary  production  of 
eleven  years,  and  they  were  curled  and  blackened 
cinders  by  the  time  von  Hagenah  and  Mrs.  Sabiston 
had  dragged  her  away  from  the  hearth  where  she 
crouched  to  shield  them. 

"  There 's  your  information,  Captain  von  Ha- 
genah," she  cried,  "  why  don't  you  go  up  the  chim- 
ney after  it  ?  " 

"  We  shall  have  to  intern  her,"  said  von  Hagenah, 
shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  We  can't  let  her  go 
back  to  Washington,  she  '11  tell  everything  she 
knows  to  the  first  man  she  meets.  Have  you  a 
room,  Mrs.  Sabiston  ?  " 

"  I  can  make  her  very  comfortable,"  said  Mrs. 
Sabiston,  not  without  a  trace  of  humor. 

"  Lock  her  in,"  said  von  Hagenah,  "  and  if  neces- 
sary keep  her  confined  for  the  period  of  the  war." 

"  It 's  quite  impossible,"  said  Corrie.  "  You  're 
too  absurd.  I  must  return  to  Washington.  I  have 
several  important  engagements." 

"  She  will  ruin  me,  war  or  no  war,"  said  Mrs. 
Sabiston,  her  slim,  muscular  body  shaking  with 
rage.  "  She  will  drive  me  out  of  the  country." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  von  Hagenah.  "  You  must 
be  protected  —  at  whatever  cost.  Keep  her  closely 
confined  —  for  the  present.  You  have  a  guard?  " 

210 


A    WILDCAT    IN    A    CAGE 

"  The  six  men  who  escaped  from  the  interned 
ships  at  Norfolk.  They  are  in  hiding  here." 

"  They  will  do.  And  remember,  Mrs.  Sabiston, 
this  woman's  presence  in  Washington  would  spoil 
everything." 

"  I  shan't  forget." 

"  Let  me  make  one  more  appeal  to  you,  Mrs.  Win- 
ters," said  von  Hagenah.  "  Give  me  the  information 
I  want,  promise  me  your  co-operation  in  what  I 
desire  you  to  do,  and  you  may  put  your  hand  in 
that  bag,  and  take  what  you  wish.  In  addition  to 
that  you  shall  be  paid  handsomely  for  having  Hart- 
mann  made  Assistant  Chief-of-Staff  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief.  That  was  very  clever  of  you, 
Mrs.  Winters.  Very  prompt,  very  efficient.  We 
owe  you  more  than  mere  thanks  for  that." 

If  Captain  von  Hagenah  had  known  Mrs.  Win- 
ters longer  he  would  have  recognized  the  expression 
that  was  coming  into  her  eyes,  dominating  her  nose, 
shaping  her  rich,  red  mouth,  as  the  one  she  invari- 
ably employed  when  about  to  crush  somebody. 

"  It  would  be  quite  impossible  to  accept  anything 
for  that,  Captain  von  Hagenah,"  she  said,  "  because 
I  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  I  merely  suggested  it 
to  Senator  Marshfield.  He  did  it." 

"  Clever !  I  call  it,"  said  von  Hagenah  softly  to 
himself.  "  Nevertheless,  Mrs.  Winters,"  he  added, 

211 


MY  COUNTRY 

"  you  shall  be  paid,  just  the  same.  Put  your  hand 
in  that  bag,  and  take  what  you  want." 

From  Corrie's  eyes  all  the  gray  had  vanished, 
leaving  only  the  green.  She  ran  quickly  past  him, 
and  threw  herself  against  the  French  window,  open- 
ing out  upon  the  east  piazza.,  and  the  frame  cracked 
beneath  the  impact  of  her  weight.  Von  Hagenah 
caught  her  in  his  arms,  and  held  her. 

"  Open  the  door,  Mrs.  Sabiston,  and  show  me 
where  to  cage  this  wildcat." 

"  Down  the  hall,  and  up  the  stairway,"  said  Mrs. 
Sabiston,  and  ran  ahead. 

Corrie  struggled  to  free  herself.  Von  Hagenah 
slipped  his  left  arm  beneath  her  knees,  and  held 
her  closer  to  him. 

"Let  me  go!" 

Her  eyes  were  close  to  his.  She  could  feel  his 
hot  breath  on  her  cheek  and  in  her  hair. 

"Let  me  go!" 

"  Why  not  surrender — and  let  us  be — friends?  " 

"  You  beast ! "  she  said,  and  suddenly  freeing 
her  arm,  slapped  him  across  the  cheek. 

He  laughed,  tightened  his  hold  upon  her,  and 
went  lightly  up  the  stairs,  carrying  her  as  easily 
as  if  she  had  been  a  child.  In  the  hall  above  Mrs. 
Sabiston  awaited  them.  At  a  door  stood  a  man 
with  a  round,  closely  clipped  head.  His  heels 

212 


A    WILDCAT    IN    A    CAGE 

clicked,  and  his  hand  went  to  salute  as  von  Ha- 
genah  came  up. 

"  Keep  this  lady  locked  in  this  room,"  said  von 
Hagenah,  drawing  Corrie  more  closely  to  him, 
"  and  set  a  guard.  If  she  tries  to  escape,  shoot 
her.  If  she  does  escape  I  '11  shoot  you.  Where  's 
the  radio  man?  " 

"  Asleep,  Herr  Captain." 

"  Instruct  him  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  the 
base  at  Caribou  Island.  Mrs.  Sabiston  will  be  at 
the  Willard,  in  Washington.  You  are  not  to  use 
the  telephone.  Anything  of  importance  should  be 
communicated  at  once  by  wire,  in  code." 

"  I  will  get  the  new  book,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston. 
"  It  was  changed  last  week."  She  ran  lightly  down 
the  stairs. 

Von  Hagenah  carried  Corrie,  struggling,  into 
the  room.  He  deposited  her  in  a  chair,  kissed  her 
impudently  upon  the  lips,  went  out,  and  closed  and 
locked  the  door.  Then  he  joined  Mrs.  Sabiston 
in  the  drawing  room. 

"  I  shall  have  to  go  to  Washington,"  he  said. 

"When?" 

"  At  once.    She  has  upset  all  my  plans." 

"  It  will  be  dangerous,"  she  answered,  with  some- 
thing in  her  voice  that  made  him  look  at  her 
narrowly. 

213 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Perhaps,  but  I  must  get  in  touch  with  them 
there  without  delay." 

"  There  are  several  trains  this  afternoon." 

"  I  am  afraid  of  trains." 

"  I  had  not  thought  of  danger,  except  in  Wash- 
ington. You  are  so  rash." 

"The  Secret  Service  —  " 

She  smiled  scornfully.  "  You  are  not  in  Ger- 
many," she  reminded  him.  "  They  don't  know  how 
to  do  anything  over  here." 

"  You  think  you  are  not  suspected  ?  " 

Mrs.  Sabiston  laughed  merrily. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  he  said  doubtfully,  "  the 
radio  —  " 

"  It  is  taken  down  every  morning  before 
dawn." 

"  Could  anyone  have  seen  us  come  in  last 
night?" 

"  The  sea  and  the  cliffs  have  no  eyes." 

"  I  feel  uneasy.  This  woman  has  disturbed  me. 
It  is  a  bad  sign.  I  do  not  like  the  idea  of  the 
trains.  The  stations  would  be  watched." 

"  You  might  go  by  automobile." 

"  Splendid.  I  shall  go  as  your  chauffeur.  You 
will  know  the  way,  and  ask  the  questions." 

"  It  seems  the  best  plan." 

"You  have  Elfrieda's  address?" 
214 


A    WILDCAT    IN    A    CAGE 

"  I  have  Mrs.  Winters'  address.  She  is  stopping 
with  her." 

"  Then  I  shall  go  there,  and  you  can  remain  at 
your  hotel,  in  touch  with  me,  ready  to  start  back, 
at  night,  at  a  moment's  notice." 

"  My  car  —  everything  I  have  —  myself  —  all 
are  at  your  disposal." 

"  You  are  splendid,  Mrs.  Sabiston.  The  Emperor 
knows  of  you,  appreciates  what  you  have  done.  .  .  . 
When  shall  we  start  ?  " 

"  Whenever  you  say,  tonight,  now.  I  am  ready, 
and  you  can  have  your  choice  of  cars." 

"  A  touring  car,  high  power.  Can  you  provide 
me  with  a  chauffeur's  outfit  ?  "  . 

"  Certainly." 

"  Very  well  —  Margaretha,  let  us  be  off." 

Half  an  hour  later  Mrs.  Sabiston's  car  turned 
out  of  the  gate  of  "  Rock  Crest "  into  the  main 
road.  At  the  wheel  was  von  Hagenah,  in  leather 
and  goggles.  On  the  back  seat  with  Mrs.  Sabiston 
lay  Bruno,  his  head  in  her  lap. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

THE   LAND   OF   YESTERDAY 

"  Every  day  should  be  like  this  one  for  us,  dear," 
said  Billy,  when  he  found  Elfrieda  waiting  for  him 
at  Mrs.  Winters'  door.  "  We  ought  to  be  together 
all  the  time,  to  have  each  other  always,  every  day 
and  every  night,  for  the  rest  of  our  lives." 

"  You  're  forgetting  your  promise,  Billy,"  smiled 
the  girl,  raising  her  ringer  warningly. 

"  Why,  don't  you  remember,"  said  Billy,  hastily, 
"  there  is  n't  any  promise  now  ?  You  released  me 
from  it,  for  one  whole,  glorious  day." 

"  So  I  did.    Well,  are  you  ready?  " 

"  The  car  is  at  the  door.  I  telephoned  for  it 
early." 

"Where  shall  we  go?" 

"  I  thought  we  would  go  down  into  Maryland, 
the  Virginia  roads  are  red  clay,  and  muddier.  You 
see,  I  've  thought  of  everything,  and  asked  lots  of 
questions.  I  shall  have  to  report  at  the  Department 
for  a  moment  first." 

They  went  down  in  the  elevator,  and  Billy  helped 
216 


THE  LAND   OF  YESTERDAY 

her  into  Lawson's  car,  and  drove  down  Seventeenth 
street.    At  the  Department  he  stopped,  and  got  out. 

"  May  I  go  in  with  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  'd  love  to  have  you.  Nobody  is  admitted  now 
without  a  pass,  unless  he  is  known  to  the  watch- 
men, but  I  can  take  you  in  with  me." 

They  passed  through  the  big  west  archway, 
turned  into  a  door  at  the  right,  and  walked  along  a 
dark  corridor. 

"  This  is  the  State  Department  side,"  he  ex- 
plained. "  We  turn  to  the  left  here,  go  up  this 
flight  of  stairs,  and  here  's  my  office,  second  door 
to  the  right." 

As  they  entered  the  small  room,  in  which  were 
two  desks,  a  table,  and  a  row  of  bookshelves,  little 
Wallis  got  up  quickly,  and  shook  hands  with  them, 
and  Billy  saw  that  the  man  who  was  usually  so  shy 
with  women  could  not  keep  his  eyes  from  Elfrieda's 
pretty  face. 

"  I  suppose  it  will  be  all  right  for  me  to  be  away 
for  today?"  asked  Billy;  "that  was  the  arrange- 
ment." 

"  So  I  understand ;  yes." 

"  Then  I  think  I  shall  be  going.  Miss  Fralli  and 
I  are  spending  the  day  in  the  country." 

"  Oh,"  said  little  Wallis,  "  I  envy  you  —  it  —  it 
is  such  a  great  day,  such  a  wonderful  day." 

217 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Perfectly  glorious,"  smiled  Frieda. 

"  They  've  given  you  my  desk,"  said  Wallis,  his 
face  a  picture  of  gloomy  despair  as  he  looked  into 
Frieda's  dancing  eyes,  "  and  moved  me  over  here. 
There  's  a  safe  in  it,  and  you  will  want  the  com- 
bination. I  have  written  it  out  for  you,"  he  added, 
handing  Billy  a  card. 

"  Thanks.  I  think  I  '11  put  these  papers  in  it 
now." 

He  tried  the  combination,  opened  the  safe,  and 
taking  from  his  breast  pocket  a  small  black  leather 
case,  deposited  it  within,  then  closed  the  door,  and 
took  out  his  watch. 

"  I  guess  I  '11  keep  the  combination  in  the  back 
of  this,"  he  said,  prying  it  open.  A  bit  of  paper 
fluttered  out.  Wallis  stooped  quickly,  and  picked 
it  up.  He  could  not  help  seeing  what  it  was.  They 
all  saw  it.  Elfrieda  looked  quickly  out  of  window, 
and  Billy  blushed.  Wallis  stammered  an  apology, 
as  if  he  had  been  guilty  of  some  crime,  and  the 
gloom  deepened  in  his  eyes.  It  was  a  picture  of 
Elfrieda,  in  a  dress  with  big  balloon  sleeves  and  a 
high-crowned  hat  covered  with  artificial  flowers. 
The  hat  and  gown  had  been  out  of  style  so  many 
years  that  little  Wallis  thought  they  were  the  very 
latest  thing.  The  girlish  face  might  have  been  from 
a  photograph  taken  that  morning. 

218 


THE   LAND   OF   YESTERDAY 

Billy  put  the  picture  back  into  his  watch,  with 
the  combination  of  the  safe,  whereupon  they  shook 
hands  with  little  Wallis,  and  went  away,  laughing, 
leaving  a  very  disconsolate  young  naval  officer  star- 
ing at  the  closed  door  when  they  had  gone. 

"  Where  on  earth  did  you  get  that  picture, 
Billy  ? "  demanded  Frieda,  when  they  were  in  the 
car,  and  he  had  turned  through  the  Monument 
grounds  into  the  Mall.  "  Give  it  to  me  at  once,  it 's 
a  perfect  fright." 

"  Don't  you  remember  it?  "  he  asked. 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  It  was  taken  just  before  I  went  away  to  Annap- 
olis. We  went  down  to  the  photographers  and  had 
our  photographs  taken.  Mine  was  in  a  huge  stand- 
ing collar  that  came  up  under  the  ears  and  nearly 
choked  me  to  death.  My  shirtfront  was  covered  by 
a  big  black  silk  tie  that  enveloped  my  chest  like  a 
muffler.  I  was  wretchedly  happy.  You  gave  me 
your  photograph  and  I  gave  mine  to  you." 

She  shook  her  head.  "  I  had  forgotten  it,"  she 
said. 

"  I  have  kept  yours,"  said  Billy,  simply.  "  All 
these  years  it  has  been  in  my  watch.  It  has  been 
next  to  my  heart  by  day,  and  under  my  head  by 
night.  I  have  never  been  without  it." 

Elfrieda  looked  at  him  sideways  beneath  the  brim 
219 


MY  COUNTRY 

of  her  black  straw,  then  turned  her  head  away. 
She  could  not  face  the  look  that  lay  in  his  eyes. 
Billy  was  trembling.  He  grasped  the  wheel  more 
firmly,  jumped  the  indicator,  and  broke  the  speed 
laws  for  a  mile.  They  turned  into  the  Capitol 
grounds,  and  flew  along  the  long  stretch  of  that 
inconspicuous  part  of  Pennsylvania  avenue  that 
bisects  the  eastern  half  of  Washington,  crossed  the 
bridge  over  the  river  and  the  railroad  tracks,  and 
the  city  was  behind  them.  Without  knowing  or 
caring  where  he  went,  he  followed  the  best  roads  as 
they  opened  up  before  him  through  the  vistas  of 
trees  that  were  coming  into  life  at  the  touch  of 
spring. 

The  sweet,  damp  smell  of  open  country  flooded 
their  thirsty  lungs,  intoxicated  them  with  the  per- 
fume of  bursting  buds  and  steaming  meadows.  The 
sky  above  was  cloudless,  the  air  warm  and  amorous. 
Mating  birds  were  singing  their  love  songs  in  every 
thicket  and  hedge.  Everywhere  the  earth  was  com- 
ing to  life  after  its  winter's  sleep,  and  the  green 
fields  were  streaked  with  great  brown  patches  where 
the  ploughing  had  already  been  done. 

"  Your  eyes,"  said  Billy,  stealing  a  look  at  her 
under  her  hat,  "  are  purple." 

"  It  is  the  light,"  she  laughed.  "  They  are  dark, 
like  that,  when  the  sky  is  a  certain  shade  of  blue." 

220 


She  could  not  face  the  look  that  lay  in  his  eyes 


THE  LAND   OF  YESTERDAY 

"They  are  beautiful,  when  they  are  purple  — 
they  are  beautiful  always." 

"  You  always  used  to  like  it  when  the  sky  made 
them  purple." 

"  It  is  not  the  sky,"  he  answered,  after  a  while, 
"  it  is  your  mood.  I  have  seen  them  like  that  on  a 
cold,  gray  day,  when  there  was  no  sun,  no  blue,  no 
warmth.  It  is  your  mood,  your  love  mood." 

"  Stop,  Billy." 

"  I  shan't."  , 

"  You  must." 

"  There  is  no  such  word  in  your  vocabulary 
today." 

"  You  are  incorrigible." 

He  answered  her  by  slipping  his  arm  around  her 
waist,  and  drawing  her  to  him. 

"  You  '11  upset  the  car." 

"  I  shall,  if  you  don't  stop  pushing  my  arm." 

"  Some  one  may  see  us." 

"  Here  in  this  wild  country  ?  " 

She  could  not  argue  with  a  man  like  that,  and 
Billy  had  his  way.  The  miles  slipped  by,  and  still 
he  held  her  close  to  him.  Growing  tired,  she  moved, 
and  put  her  arm  around  him,  and  heard  him  give  a 
sigh  of  content. 

"  The  country,"  he  said,  "  appeals  to  me  more 
than  all  the  cities  in  the  world.  The  country,  and 

221 


MY   COUNTRY 

the  sea.  I  should  like  to  live  on  a  wild,  forest-grown 
island,  with  the  sea  beating  on  my  own  beach,  and 
nobody  there  with  me,  but  you,  Frieda." 

"  Don't  be  sentimental." 

"  Take  my  left  hand  in  yours,  there.  I  want  the 
touch  of  you.  Would  n't  you  like  to  share  that 
island  with  me,  dear?" 

"  There  's  a  meadow  lark !  Look,  Billy,  over  in 
that  field.  I  'm  sure  it 's  a  meadow  lark.  Let 's 
stop,  and  watch  it." 

"  Hang  the  meadow  lark,"  said  Billy.  "  Think  of 
the  sea,  rolling  up  the  beach,  Frieda,  a  long,  white 
beach,  with  sand  dunes,  and  then  the  forest,  oak 
and  pine  and  —  it  would  have  to  be  a  Southern, 
island,  and  you  would  wear  a  soft,  white  gown 
and  a  big  straw  hat,  and  your  eyes  would  al- 
ways be  purple,  Frieda.  Let  us  go  find  an  island, 
dear." 

"  We  shall  have  to  go  find  some  gasolene  first," 
she  laughed. 

"Why  —  gasolene  —  ?" 

"  The  car  stopped  ten  minutes  ago." 

"The  deuce!" 

"  I  'm  afraid  so.    See  if  you  can  start  it,  Billy." 

"  No  use,"  he  said,  "  it 's  stalled." 

"  Touch  some  more  of  those  little  knobs  and 
things;  maybe  it  will  run." 

222 


THE   LAND   OF   YESTERDAY 

"  No ;  it 's  the  gasolene.  I  forgot  about  it. 
They  should  have  attended  to  that  at  the  garage." 

"  What  on  earth  shall  we  do  now?  " 

"  Oh,  just  sit  here  and  talk,"  said  Billy. 

"  You  are  impossible,  today." 

"  This  is  the  greatest  day  of  my  life." 

"  Then  we  should  n't  waste  it." 

"  Waste  it?  "  he  cried.  "  I  don't  know  of  any- 
thing I  'd  rather  do  than  to  spend  it  sitting  right 
here  with  you,  talking  to  you,  looking  into  your 
purple  eyes." 

"  Here  in  the  middle  of  this  town  ?  " 

"  Town  ?  "  said  Billy,  astonished.  "  I  had  n't  no- 
ticed it." 

He  looked  around  curiously  now.  To  the  right 
of  them  was  a  picket  fence,  from  which  most  of  the 
palings  had  disappeared.  Beyond  it  was  a  weather- 
beaten  house,  with  a  long,  sloping  roof,  on  which  all 
the  shingles  were  curled  up  like  little  cornucopias. 
Down  the  road,  ahead  of  them,  were  two  or  three 
more  houses  of  the  same  forlorn  appearance,  and 
what  had  once  been  a  barn.  Its  rough  walls,  defying 
all  the  natural  and  architectural  laws,  were  standing 
at  every  possible  angle  from  the  perpendicular.  Half 
the  roof  had  caved  in,  and  pigeons  used  the  opening 
for  an  entrance.  In  the  yard  was  a  lean  red  cow, 
and  looking  over  the  fence  at  them  a  half-starved 

223 


MY  COUNTRY 

animal  that  Billy  said  was  probably  a  horse.  A  pale 
and  freckled  boy  came  out  of  the  stable,  and  sur- 
veyed them  with  interest,  his  eyes  staring. 

"  Son,"  asked  Billy,  "  what  was  the  name  of  this 
town  ?  " 

"Sir?" 

"  When  was  it  moved  ?  " 

"  This  is  Piscataway,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Oh.     Well,  where  's  the  garage?  " 

"The  which?" 

"  The  place  where  they  feed  automobiles." 

The  boy  shook  his  head. 

"  Is  n't  there  a  garage  somewhere  around  ?  "  in- 
sisted Billy,  amazed  that  such  a  thing  could  be  any- 
where in  America. 

"  Never  heard  of  one,  sir." 

"  Where  can  I  buy  some  gasolene  ?  " 

"  That 's  a  new  one  on  me,"  said  the  boy, 
blankly. 

"  Look  here,  is  n't  there  some  kind  of  a  store  in 
this  place?" 

"  There  used  to  be  a  store.  It  fell  down,  and 
they  never  built  a  new  one." 

"  Can  we  get  luncheon  somewhere  ?  " 

"Get  what?" 

"  Something  to  eat." 

"  You  might  get  something  to  eat  in  there,  I 
224 


THE  LAND  OF  YESTERDAY 

dunno,"  said  the  boy,  pointing  to  the  dilapidated 
house. 

"  Not  in  that  place,  I  could  n't,"  whispered 
Elfrieda. 

"  I  should  say  not.  Son,  is  n't  there  a  farm 
around  here  somewhere  ?  " 

"  Oh,  there  's  a  farm,  yes,  there  's  a  farm." 

"How  far?" 

"  I  dunno." 

"A  mile?" 

"  I  dunno." 

"Two  miles?" 

"  About  two  miles." 

"Which  way?" 

"  Over  that  hill,  through  the  woods,  and  across 
the  crick." 

"  The  very  tramp  I  Ve  been  longing  for,"  cried 
Elfrieda,  joyously.  "  Have  they  a  telephone  up 
there?" 

"  Of  course  they  have  n't,"  chortled  Billy.  "  This 
is  the  land  of  love  and  romance,  the  Land  of  Yester- 
day. I  would  n't  use  a  telephone  if  they  had  one." 

"  All  right,  we  '11  take  a  chance  on  the  lunch," 
agreed  Frieda. 

They  got  out,  and  Billy  pushed  the  car  to  the 
side  of  the  road,  and  they  left  it  there,  climbed  a 
fence,  and  started  up  the  hill. 

225 


MY   COUNTRY 

The  ground  was  soft,  but  was  covered  with  a 
heavy  sod  in  which  the  new  grass  was  show- 
ing, tender  and  green.  They  reached  the  top  of 
the  hill  and  sat  down  on  a  rock  under  a  walnut 
tree. 

"Tired,  dear?" 

"  Not  a  bit,  are  you? '' 

"  I  could  walk  like  this  with  you  forever,  to  the 
end  of  the  world." 

She  stood  up  quickly  and  they  went  along  side 
by  side,  keeping  at  the  edge  of  a  woods. 

"  This  is  a  path,"  said  Elfrieda.  "  I  wonder 
where  it  leads  ?  " 

"  To  Heaven,"  said  Billy,  and  put  his  arm  around 
her. 

"  You  must  n't,"  said  Frieda,  and  tried  to  pull 
away.  He  answered  her  protest  with  a  kiss,  upon 
the  lips,  and  the  next  instant  he  had  her  in  his 
arms,  and  was  covering  her  face  with  kisses,  her 
eyes,  her  ears,  her  throat.  His  body  was  shaking. 

"Stop!    Billy,"  she  gasped. 

"  The  promise  does  n't  bind  today,"  he  reminded 
her. 

"  You  must  n't  kiss  me  like  that,  I  —  can't  stand 
it." 

"  You  've  starved  me  for  years ;  all  the  days  have 
been  yours,  but  today  is  mine." 

226 


THE   LAND   OF  YESTERDAY 

"  You  must  n't  kiss  me  like  that,"  she  repeated 
faintly. 

"  You  said  I  might  make  love  to  you  today." 

"  Yes,  yes,  talk  to  me,  Billy." 

"  This  is  the  only  language  I  know.  Kiss  me, 
Frieda." 

"Billy!" 

"  I  love  you  so." 

"  I  —  I  —  " 

"  One  kiss." 

"Oh,  Billy  —  " 

'  You  've  never  kissed  me  in  your  life." 

"  Why,  you  have  kissed  me,  lots  of  times,  when 
we  were  —  " 

"  I  know,  but  you  have  never  kissed  me,  Frieda. 
Just  once ! " 

"Will  you  be  good,  then?" 

"  Just  one,  Frieda!  " 

"You  will  be  good?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Just  one,  remember  —  ever." 

"You  don't  hate  me,  Frieda?" 

"Oh,  Billy." 

'  You  don't  mind  kissing  me  ?  There  is  n't  some 
one  you  would  rather  —  I  should  n't  care  to  kiss 
you,  if  you  'd  rather  —  " 

"  Oh,  very  well  then." 

227 


"There  is  some  one  else  —  some  one  in  Ger- 
many ?  " 

"  Stop,  Billy,  you  are  hurting  my  wrists.  No 
She  looked  off  across  the  valley,  toward  the 
pine  woods  at  the  other  side  of  the  bottom  lands, 
her  eyelids  nearly  closed,  the  long  lashes  on  her 
cheek.  "  No,"  she  said  slowly,  "  no,  Billy,  there  is 
no  one  else  in  Germany.  There  might  have  been 
once  —  but  he  died." 

Her  voice  fell  to  a  whisper,  but  it  sounded  like 
the  roar  of  a  tempest  in  Billy's  brain.  His  body, 
that  had  been  trembling,  was  suddenly  limp.  He 
steadied  himself,  closing  his  long,  sinewy  fingers 
around  a  sapling. 

"  Frieda  —  I  did  not  know.  I  did  not  under- 
stand. Forgive  me.  Can  you  ever  forgive  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  Billy,  you  are  so  pale." 

"  It  is  nothing.    Shall  we  walk  on  ?  " 

They  walked  in  silence,  keeping  in  the  sheep  path 
along  the  edge  of  the  woods.  Birds  were  singing 
in  the  branches  of  the  leafing  trees,  but  Billy  did 
not  hear  them.  Flowers  started  out  of  the  mould 
and  grass  at  his  feet,  but  he  did  not  see  them. 
Something  within  him  that  he  had  had  all  the  days 
of  his  life  had  suddenly  been  taken  away.  They 
came  to  a  fence. 

"  I  can  climb  it,"  said  Frieda,  gaily,  "if  you  will 
228 


THE  LAND   OF  YESTERDAY 

give  me  your  arm  and  let  me  put  my  hand  on  your 
shoulder." 

"  I  will  take  the  bars  down  for  you,"  said  Billy. 

She  waited  while  he  put  them  up  again,  and 
walked  along  ahead  of  him,  through  an  open  field, 
up  another  hill,  and  through  a  bit  of  woods. 

"  Arbutus !  "  cried  Frieda,  and  stooped  to  gather 
the  tough  vine,  full  of  delicate  pink  blossoms. 
"  And  violets !  Just  look  at  the  violets,  Billy,  wild 
ones." 

"  Shall  I  help  you  to  find  them  ?  "  he  asked  dully. 

"  Why,  no,"  she  answered,  looking  at  him  hesi- 
tatingly, "  let  them  stay,  it  seems  such  a  pity  to 
pluck  them,  only  to  throw  them  away.  Is  n't  that  a 
house,  down  there  ?  " 

He  nodded. 

"  Let  us  hurry  on,  then,"  and  she  danced  merrily 
along  before  him,  skipping  about  in  the  warm  sun- 
shine, looking  into  every  bush,  listening  to  the  call 
of  every  bird.  She  stopped,  and  waited  for  him  to 
come  up.  "  I  have  spoiled  his  day,"  she  thought. 
"  What  a  fool  I  am,  always  to  be  doing  things  like 
that." 

He  held  a  wire  fence  apart  while  she  climbed 
through,  and  they  slid  down  a  sloping  hillside,  slip- 
pery with  wet  leaves  and  moss. 

"  How  in  the  world  shall  we  get  across  ?  "  asked 
229 


MY   COUNTRY 

Elfrieda,  with  a  little  feminine  scream  of  dismay, 
as  she  beckoned  to  him. 

"  A  creek,"  said  Billy,  coming  up.  "  Maybe 
there  is  a  bridge  somewhere." 

They  walked  on.  Presently  Elfrieda  said :  "  This 
is  taking  us  further  away  from  the  house  we 
saw.  We  must  cross  here,  or  we  shall  lose  our 
way." 

"  Could  you  step  on  those  stones  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  They  look  terribly  wet,"  said  Elfrieda,  critically. 
"  The  water  is  'way  over  them  in  some  places.  I 
should  ruin  my  shoes." 

"They  seem  quite  heavy  and  stout." 

"  And  get  my  feet  wet,  and  maybe  take  cold.  I 
have  to  be  so  careful  about  my  throat." 

"  We  shall  have  to  walk  further.  There  must  be 
a  bridge." 

"  You  —  you  could  carry  me?  " 

"  Oh." 

"  It  is  not  far  across,  Billy." 

"  Come  along,  then." 

He  stepped  down  the  bank  upon  a  flat  stone,  and 
reached  up  his  arms  to  her,  and  she  fluttered  into 
them  like  a  bird. 

"Comfortable?" 

"  Quite." 

He  picked  his  way  across  the  stream,  from  rock 
230 


THE   LAND   OF   YESTERDAY 

to  rock.  Once  he  slipped,  and  tightened  his  hold 
upon  her.  She  thought,  "  He  will  kiss  me  now." 

He  put  her  down  upon  the  opposite  bank,  and 
they  walked  up  through  the  trees,  and  came  out  in 
an  orchard.  Ahead  of  them  was  a  farm  house, 
white,  with  a  big  red  chimney.  A  dog  came  out 
to  growl  and  remained  to  scamper  at  their  heels. 
They  opened  a  gate  and  went  into  a  yard,  and  a 
woman,  who  was  sitting  on  the  porch,  arose  and 
welcomed  them.  Yes,  she  could  give  them  a  dinner, 
and  would  be  delighted  to  do  so.  It  would  be  ready 
in  a  few  minutes.  The  lady  could  go  into  her  room, 
and  she  would  find  everything  she  needed.  She 
went  ahead  to  show  the  way. 

Billy  waited  for  Frieda  on  the  porch,  rocking 
gloomily  in  a  big,  red,  split-bottom  chair.  A  man 
was  shouting  to  a  plough  horse  in  a  field  across 
the  way,  and  the  robins  were  singing  overhead. 

"  What  a  sad  place  the  world  is,  after  all," 
thought  Billy.  "Why  are  we  here?" 

Elfrieda  came  out,  her  eyes  smiling.  "  They  are 
purple,"  he  thought,  "  but  not  for  me." 

They  went  in  to  dinner  —  fried  chicken,  and  great 
slices  of  cold  ham,  and  hot  biscuits,  and  corn  pone, 
and  a  big  dish  of  fried  potatoes,  and  buttermilk. 

"  What  would  Ruhlmann  think  if  she  could  see 
me  now,"  laughed  Frieda,  her  mouth  full  of  chicken. 

231 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Did  you  ever  see  it  cooked  like  this  before,  Billy, 
in  batter?  I  never  tasted  anything  like  it  in  my 
life." 

Billy  pretended  he  was  enjoying  himself.  He 
tasted  nothing  that  he  ate. 

"  And  the  biscuits,  Billy !  Look,  see  how  they 
come  open,  like  a  watch." 

The  woman  was  smiling  in  the  doorway,  a  good 
cook  with  an  appreciative  audience.  She  would 
have  given  Frieda  the  farm  if  she  had  asked  for  it, 
and  when  Billy  tried  to  pay  her  for  her  trouble  later, 
when  they  were  ready  to  go,  she  was  indignant,  and 
would  accept  nothing. 

She  had  the  buggy  brought  around  for  them. 
Her  husband  had  come  in  from  the  fields,  and 
thought  that  they  might  obtain  some  gasolene  at 
Fort  Washington,  down  toward  the  river  a  piece. 
They  were  to  leave  the  buggy  in  the  village  when 
they  returned  to  their  automobile,  and  somebody 
would  see  that  it  got  home,  all  right.  Everybody 
knew  the  buggy,  and  the  horse,  they  might  leave 
them  anywhere. 

They  drove  away,  waving  their  thanks  for  the 
generous  hospitality.  Elfrieda  was  chirping  with 
joy. 

The  road  led  through  a  pine  woods,  where  the 
branches  overhead  were  thick,  shutting  out  the  sun. 

232 


THE  LAND  OF  YESTERDAY 

The  wheels  crunched  musically  in  the  heavy  sand, 
the  horse's  hoofs  made  scarcely  a  sound.  Along 
the  fence,  on  either  side,  a  tangled  thicket  of  grape 
vines  were  putting  on  their  new  dresses,  and  a  bird 
sat  on  a  limb,  preening  its  feathers. 

"  He  will  think  of  the  time  he  kissed  me  first, 
and  he  will  kiss  me  now,"  she  thought,  looking  at 
him  covertly. 

Billy's  memory  had  gone  back  to  the  arbor,  in 
the  yard  at  home,  and  he  could  see  her,  as  she 
looked  that  day,  when  they  had  swung  together  in 
the  hammock,  and  he  had  held  her  in  his  arms. 
She  saw  by  his  eyes  what  he  was  thinking. 
"  Surely,"  she  thought,  "  he  will  kiss  me  now." 
But  Billy  did  n't. 

At  the  fort  they  had  no  trouble  in  obtaining  all 
the  gasolene  they  required.  They  met  there  one 
of  the  young  army  officers  who  had  been  at  Mrs. 
Winters'  party  a  few  evenings  before,  and  he  was 
delighted  to  see  them,  and  pressed  them  to  stay  to 
dinner  with  him.  His  striker  attended  to  the  gaso- 
lene, and  put  a  large  can  in  the  back  of  the  buggy. 
Billy  thought  they  would  better  go,  as  the  sky  was 
becoming  overcast,  and  the  air  was  beginning  to 
feel  like  rain. 

There  was  great  activity  at  the  post,  and  as  they 
started  back  to  the  buggy  they  stopped,  and  watched 

233 


MY    COUNTRY 

some  troops  which  had  just  landed  at  the  wharf,  and 
which  were  mobilizing  there.  Bronzed  and  hard- 
ened by  the  sun  of  the  desert,  for  they  were  fresh 
from  the  Mexican  border,  they  won  even  Billy's 
critical  approval.  The  sun  was  glinting  on  their 
guns.  Their  band  was  playing.  Billy  glanced 
at  Elfrieda,  and  saw  that  her  eyes  were  shining. 

"  Do  you  remember  that  tune  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  A  Hot  Time  in  the  Old  Town  Tonight,"  she 
laughed.  "  How  it  brings  back  to  me  the  memory 
of  the  Spanish  war  time." 

"  You  remember  how  we  went  down  to  see  the 
regiment  from  our  town  go  ?  " 

"  I  was  thinking  about  that  very  thing,"  said 
Elfrieda. 

"  And  how  enthusiastic  we  were  ?  " 

"  Oh,  but  were  n't  we,  just!  " 

The  flag  was  passing,  and  Billy  came  to  atten- 
tion, and  saluted. 

"  Frieda,"  he  asked,  turning  to  her  suddenly,  "  in 
a  war  between  the  United  States  and  Germany, 
who,  do  you  think,  would  win  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  would,  of  course,"  she  answered  quickly, 
her  sparkling  eyes  full  of  admiration  for  the  fine 
looking  boys  who  were  swinging  by. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  '  we  '  ?  " 

"  The  United  States,"  said  Frieda. 
234 


THE   LAND   OF   YESTERDAY 

Billy  threw  back  his  head,  and  laughed,  but  Frieda 
was  not  laughing,  and  he  saw  that  the  light  had 
faded  from  her  eyes. 

"  Only  the  other  day  you  told  me  that  you  must, 
you  simply  must  be  a  German,  and  now  — 

She  looked  at  him  dumbly,  and  as  he  took  her 
arm  he  could  feel  her  body  shaking. 

"  I  —  I  spoke  —  " 

"  Instinctively,"  he  finished.  "  Frieda,  I  told  you 
that  you  were  an  American.  Now  I  know  it." 

"  Die  Eingeborene!  "  she  said  helplessly. 

"  That  is  it,  you  are  a  native  born,"  said  Billy,  as 
serious  now  as  she  was. 

They  walked  back  to  the  buggy  in  silence.  He 
put  her  in  the  seat,  tucked  the  laprobe  around  her 
feet,  and  they  drove  over  the  road  by  which  they  had 
come,  to  the  little  town  where  they  had  left  the  car, 
and  scarcely  spoke,  for  each  was  busy  with  thoughts 
of  many  things. 

They  were  well  on  their  way  to  Washington  when 
Elfrieda  regained  her  outward  composure.  In- 
wardly she  was  more  agitated  than  she  had  been 
before. 

What  would  Billy  think  if  he  knew  the  errand 
upon  which  she  had  crossed  the  Atlantic! 

She  offered  up  a  silent  prayer  that  he  might  never 
know. 

235 


MY   COUNTRY 

She  looked  at  Billy  as  they  reached  the  turn  of 
the  road  where  he  had  put  his  arm  around  her  that 
morning;  but  he  kept  his  eyes  straight  ahead,  and 
both  hands  on  the  steering  wheel,  and  did  not  look 
at  her,  or  speak  to  her. 

"  I  am  stupid,"  she  thought,  "  I  have  spoiled  his 
day  and  mine." 

The  clouds,  which  had  been  following  the  river, 
now  dissolved  into  mist,  and  then  the  rain  came 
down.  Almost  in  an  instant  they  were  drenched. 

He  drew  the  robe  over  her,  and  tucked  it  in  at  her 
back,  and  she  pressed  closer  to  him. 

"  As  soon  as  we  get  into  town  I  will  telephone  for 
a  taxi,"  he  said.  "  Lawson  should  have  had  a  top 
on  his  car." 

"  I  don't  mind  the  rain." 

"  But  your  throat  ?  " 

"  I  never  take  cold." 

"  Oh,  I  — - " 

"  It 's  a  warm  rain,"  Frieda  hastened  to  add,  "  I 
don't  mind  it  really,  in  the  least." 

.  Night  was  coming  on,  and  they  drove  through 
the  deserted  streets,  indifferent  to  the  deluge.  At 
the  apartment  he  hurried  her  into  the  elevator,  and 
went  up  with  her. 

"  Will  you  come  in  ?  "  she  asked,  at  the  door. 

"Now,  like  this?" 

236 


THE  LAND   OF  YESTERDAY 

"  Yes,  I  want  to  talk  with  you  about  —  something 
— that  is  —  that  is  on  my  mind." 

"  I  will  go  in." 

"  You  said  I  was  an  American,"  she  said  hesitat- 
ingly, her  hand  on  the  knob. 

"  Your  answer,  at  the  fort,  proved  that  I  was 
right.  It  is  the  call  of  country." 

"  Then  why  are  you  not  a  Prussian  ?  " 

"  Der  Eingeborener!  "  said  Billy.  "  Don't  put 
such  ideas  in  my  mind,  Elfrieda."  And  then  the 
words  he  had  heard  at  the  club,  rushed  back  upon 
his  memory :  "  It  means  something  to  be  born  in 
a  country  —  I  don't  believe  you  ever  get  over  it," 
some  one  had  said,  and  had  been  speaking  of  him. 

"Good  God!"  said  Billy  to  himself,  "Elfrieda 
could  n't  stand  the  gaff  when  the  question  was  put 
right  up  to  her.  I  wonder  if  I  could?  " 

He  opened  the  door,  and  followed  Elfrieda  into 
Mrs.  Winters'  drawing  room.  As  they  entered  a 
big,  blonde,  bearded  man  arose  from  the  chair  by 
the  window,  and  crossed  the  room  with  a  quick 
stride. 

Billy  looked  at  him,  and  threw  out  his  arms. 

"Karl!  "he  said. 


237 


CHAPTER    XIX 

THE   BLACK    LEATHER    CASE 

"  I  hope  you  rested  well,"  said  Billy  the  next 
morning,  going  into  his  bedroom,  where  his  brother 
had  slept. 

"Splendidly,  thanks,"  said  Karl.  "And  you? 
I  feel  like  a  dog  for  letting  you  go  in  on  the 
couch." 

"  I  was  quite  comfortable." 

"  It  was  good  of  you  to  bring  me  down  here  with 
you." 

"  It  was  the  only  thing  to  do,  of  course,"  an- 
swered Billy.  "  You  could  n't  stay  in  Mrs.  Winters' 
apartment,  especially  since  Elfrieda  is  there  alone 
now.  Mrs.  Winters  has  gone  away  for  a  few  days. 
She  's  a  good  sort ;  you  must  meet  her." 

"Thanks,  I  think  I 'd  a  little  rather  not,"  said 
Karl,  hiding  a  smile  as  he  thought  of  Mrs.  Winters, 
and  wondered  how  she  was  getting  along. 

"  I  'm  sure  you  'd  like  her,"  said  Billy  enthusiasti- 
cally, "  Corrie  's  charming,  just  the  kind  you  fancy, 
I  should  think." 

238 


THE   BLACK   LEATHER   CASE 

"A  —  a  particular  friend  of  yours?  "  asked  Karl, 
looking  at  his  brother  keenly. 

"  I  Ve  known  her  for  years,  and  —  " 

"  Nothing  more?  " 

"  Certainly  not." 

"  Oh.  You  used  to  be  awfully  fond  of  Frieda. 
Are  you  —  " 

"Please  don't,"  said  Billy,  quickly.  "You'll 
find  your  bath  in  there,  and  my  shaving  things. 
But  you  don't  need  those,  do  you,  Karl?  I  never 
saw  such  a  beard.  How  long  have  you  been 
afflicted  ?  " 

"Nearly  eight  years,"  said  Karl,  soberly;  "I 
don't  know  how  I  'd  look  without  it  now." 

"  Very  much  as  I  do,  I  imagine,"  Billy  replied. 
"  You  are  like  me  in  every  other  way,  just  as  you 
always  were." 

"  You  are  like  me,"  amended  Karl. 

"  It  is  the  same  thing,  is  n't  it  ?  You  always  in- 
sisted on  that  point.  Well,  have  your  way.  But 
you  are  like  me,  just  the  same,  height,  shoulders, 
arms.  Only  the  face  is  different.  If  I  had  n't  been 
your  twin  I  probably  would  n't  have  recognized 
you." 

"  I  hope  your  clothes  will  fit  me,"  laughed  Karl. 
"  These  automobile  togs  are  the  only  things  I 
brought  with  me,  and  they  are  a  sight." 

239 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Help  yourself  to  anything  you  want,  in  that 
closet,"  answered  Billy,  "  and  when  you  have  had 
your  tub,  and  dressed,  breakfast  will  be  served." 

"Inhere?" 

"  I  have  ordered  it  from  the  cafe." 

"  Elfrieda  told  me  you  would  probably  do  so.  I 
invited  her  to  have  breakfast  with  us." 

"  I  don't  know  —  " 

"Why  not?" 

"  I  'm  afraid  it 's  hardly  —  " 

"  Is  n't  she  our  cousin  ?  " 

"  Other  people  do  not  know  that  —  she  is  Miss 
Fralli  here  for  some  strange  reason,  I  am  sorry  to 
say.  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  her  going  under  a  false 
name." 

"  Bother !  It 's  her  stage  name,"  said  Karl, 
lightly. 

"  She  has  never  used  it  on  the  stage.  How- 
ever, if  she  is  coming  it  can't  be  helped.  Hurry,  I 
think  I  hear  her  at  the  door  now." 

It  was  Frieda,  and  she  came  in  smiling,  but  with 
none  of  the  purple  in  her  eyes  that  he  loved. 

"  I  shall  never  see  it  again,"  he  thought,  as  he 
shook  hands.  She  sat  down,  and  the  breakfast  was 
brought  in. 

"  Chops,  potatoes,  bacon,  eggs  on  toast,  and 
coffee,"  Billy  called  through  the  bedroom  door. 

240 


THE  BLACK  LEATHER  CASE 

"  You  have  remembered  my  favorite  breakfast," 
answered  Karl. 

"  And  a  grapefruit." 

"  If  there  is  only  one  grapefruit  I  shall  have  it," 
said  Frieda,  firmly ;  "  I  am  off  the  diet  now,  and 
propose  to  go  the  limit." 

Karl  came  in.  He  was  wearing  one  of  Billy's 
suits,  of  gray,  that  had  just  come  from  the  tailor's. 
"  How  do  you  like  the  fit  ? "  he  asked,  turning 
around. 

"  How  like  Billy  you  are,"  said  Frieda.  "  I  have 
seen  you  in  nothing  but  your  uniform  for  so  long 
that  I  hardly  know  you." 

Billy's  face  darkened,  and  into  his  eyes  came  a 
troubled  look.  He  crossed  to  the  window  and  stood 
staring  out,  then  turned,  and  came  back  to  the 
table,  and  took  his  seat  at  the  head. 

"What's  wrong?"  asked  Karl. 

"  I  did  not  trouble  you  with  it  last  night,"  said 
Billy,  "  for  it  was  a  strange  and  joyous  re-union, 
after  I  had  been  thinking  all  this  time  that  you 
were  dead,  but,  Karl,  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  your 
being  in  Washington  at  such  a  time  as  this." 

"Why  not?"  demanded  Karl. 

"  You  are  a  Captain  in  the  German  navy." 

"  Germany  and  the  United  States  are  not  at  war." 

"They  will  be,  perhaps  tomorrow,  at  any  mo- 
241 


MY   COUNTRY 

ment.  They  are  practically  at  war  now,  and  have 
been  for  months.  It  is  —  indiscreet  is  hardly  the 
word." 

"  I  am  among  friends  and  relatives,"  said  Karl 
unconcernedly,  helping  himself  to  the  potatoes. 
"  and  with  the  exception  of  one  person  —  well,  two 
—  who  are  reliable  and  faithful  in  every  way,  not 
a  soul  in  America  knows  who  I  am.  or  that  I  am 
here,  or  why  I  am  here,  but  you  and  Frieda." 

"  I  do  not  know  why  you  are  here,"  replied  Billy, 
"  I  know  only  that  you  are  here  —  and  in  disguise. 
You  know  what  the  consequences  would  be  in  times 
like  these  if  that  disguise  were  penetrated." 

"  How  can  it  be?  "  answered  Karl,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.  "  I  have  not  been  in  America  since  I 
was  a  boy.  Nobody  knows  me  now." 

"  Several  officers  in  the  navy  know  that  I  have 
a  twin  brother,"  said  Billy,  anxiously;  "  they  might 
suspect  something." 

"  Had  a  twin  brother,  perhaps,"  admitted  Karl. 
"  Officially  I  am  dead.  That  was  provided  for 
long  ago." 

"  You  mean  the  report  of  your  death  was  delib- 
erately faked?  " 

"Of  course.  My  visit  was  foreseen,  everything 
is  foreseen  in  Germany.  It  was  realized,  of  course, 
that  my  relationship  with  you  was  known  to  vari- 

242 


THE   BLACK  LEATHER   CASE 

ous  people  in  the  United  States.  My  death  was 
decided  on,  and  so  they  killed  me  off  in  the  Jutland 
battle,  and  the  necessary  steps  were  taken  to  have 
it  published  in  the  American  papers.  I  wrote  the 
despatch,  that  went  by  wireless,  myself,"  and  he 
laughed  merrily.  "  It  was  a  good  joke." 

"  It  was  no  joke  to  me,"  said  Billy,  getting  up 
and  pacing  the  floor.  "  I  suffered.  My  twin  brother 
dead!  It  nearly  broke  my  heart." 

"  I  understand,  brother,"  said  Karl,  tears  in  his 
eyes.  "  Forgive  me." 

"  A  twin  always  cares,  more  than  other  people," 
said  Billy,  slowly.  "  I  grieved  for  you,  Karl." 

"  Where  were  you  when  you  heard  of  it  ?  " 

"  Manila,"  answered  Billy. 

"  Good  old  Elsa,"  laughed  Karl. 

"  You  knew  she  sent  me  a  cable  ?  But  —  "  He 
wheeled  suddenly,  and  stood  looking  down  at 
Frieda,  whose  breakfast  was  untasted  on  her  plate. 
She  turned  her  head  away.  "  Frieda !  "  said  Billy, 
"  I  did  n't  think  you  'd  have  a  hand  in  anything 
like  that,  I  did  n't  think  you  'd  put  a  burden  on  me 
that  nearly  killed  me,  changed  the  whole  current  of 
my  affections,  filled  me  with  hate  for  all  my  former 
English  friends.  I  could  n't  forget  that  they  had 
killed  my  brother." 

"I  couldn't  help  it,  I  had  to,"  said  Frieda 
•  243 


MY   COUNTRY 

brokenly ;  "  they  made  me,  Billy.  It  was  n't  I,  it 
was  some  one  —  " 

"  Upon  my  word,  Wilhelm,"  said  Karl,  getting 
up,  and  taking  his  brother's  hand,  "  I  did  n't  realize 
how  hard  you  would  take  it.  I  understand,  now, 
and  I  'm  glad,  glad  it  happened,  if  it  has  made  me 
comprehend,  made  me  know  how  true  and  firm  you 
are.  All  our  reports  about  you  are  confirmed,  Gott 
sei  dank! " 

"  Reports  about  me  ?  "  said  Billy. 

"  I  did  not  doubt  you.  I  would  have  known 
without  them,"  said  Karl,  his  eyes  shining  with  a 
look  that  was  almost  exhaltation.  "  You  are  my 
brother,  you  could  not  be  anything  else  than  what 
you  are,  like  me,  just  like  me.  I  '11  tell  you,"  he 
added  quickly,  sitting  down  and  drawing  his  chair 
up  confidentially.  "  Frieda !  Is  the  door  locked  ? 
There  is  no  one  here?  Be  sure,  please,  and  close 
that  window.  That,"  he  went  on  eagerly,  turning 
to  Billy,  "  brings  me  to  the  question  of  why  I  am 
here.  As  soon  as  the  cable  reached  us  stating  that 
you  were  leaving  Hong  Kong,  I  started  for  Wash- 
ington to  meet  you.  Now  you  know  everything." 

"Know?"  said  Billy,  wonderingly.  "Why,  I 
don't  know  anything." 

"  I  had  to  come,"  Karl  went  on  rapidly,  the  words 
pouring  from  his  lips.  "  The  thing  was  pre-or- 

244 


THE  BLACK  LEATHER  CASE 

dained  by  Fate.  The  Admiralty  saw  it,  and  so  did 
I.  You  had  been  in  the  American  navy  for  years, 
you  had  been  through  the  Newport  college,  you  had 
worked  out  problems  in  strategy,  you  had  made  a 
reputation,  you  would  have  the  whole  inside  of  the 
American  navy  in  your  grasp,  access  to  everything 
we  might  want.  The  time  came,  and  I  am  here.  I 
will  go  over  with  you  the  points  we  wish  cleared  up, 
I  will  get  from  you  the  information  you  have,  that 
we  need.  We  had  not  contemplated  war  with  the 
United  States.  We  thought  you  would  stand  for 
anything.  You  have  taken  us  by  surprise.  We 
have  been  obtaining  much  information,  of  course, 
for  we  realized  that  war  was  a  possibility,  although 
not  likely.  Now  the  blow  is  about  to  fall.  It  is  es- 
sential that  we  have  the  new  plan  of  naval  opera- 
tions that  has  been  agreed  upon,  the  location  of 
bases  and  mines,  the  size  and  gun  strength  of  the 
fleet.  Will  that  fleet  remain  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic  to  protect  the  coast  against  our  submarines, 
or  will  it  combine  with  the  British  fleet  in  the  North 
Sea?  Have  you  perfected  the  submarine  destroyer 
that  Pendleton  has  been  working  on?  We  have 
something  about  it,  but  not  much.  An  undersea 
destroyer  that  can  see  and  hear  under  water  might 
be  our  ruin.  These  are  some  of  the  things  we  must 
know.  You  will  go  over  it  all  with  me,  and  place  in 

245 


MY   COUNTRY 

my  possession  such  information  in  addition  as  you 
may  be  able  to  obtain.  I  am  ready  to  return  as  soon 
as  I  have  what  I  have  come  for." 

"You  have  your  get-away  all  planned?"  asked 
Billy,  who  had  not  taken  his  eyes  from  his  brother's 
face. 

"  Yes ;  I  shall  go  back  as  I  came." 

"And  how  was  that?" 

"  I  crossed  by  submarine,"  said  Karl. 

"And  made  your  landing  —  ?" 

"  In  Massachusetts  Bay,  five  miles  off  the  estate 
of  Mrs.  Sabiston.  who  lives  at  some  place,  I  've  for- 
gotten the  name.  You  remember  Margaretha 
Schoenleber?  Her  people  returned  to  Germany 
about  the  time  that  we  did." 

"  She  lived  next  door  to  us,"  laughed  Billy,  "  a 
little  pudgy,  yellow-haired  girl." 

"  You  would  not  know  her  now,"  said  Karl,  "  she 
is  —  beautiful.  She  came  back  to  America  when 
she  married."  He  walked  to  the  window,  and  stood 
there,  with  his  back  to  them. 

"  I  thought,  Karl  —  "  Billy  began. 

"  I  know,  I  thought  so  once  myself,"  said  Karl, 
coming  back.  "  Well,  it  was  n't  to  be.  I  had  my 
way  to  make  in  the  navy,  and  nothing  but  work,  no 
time  for  anything  else."  Billy  looked  at  him  with 
eyes  full  of  understanding  and  sympathy. 

246 


THE  BLACK  LEATHER   CASE 

"  You  remember  the  tin-type,  Karl  ?  "  he  asked, 
a  smile  coming  to  his  lips. 

"  I  have  it  yet,"  said  Karl.  "  She  sent  it  back 
to  me  when  she  broke  the  engagement." 

"  I  did  not  know  —  " 

"  A  boy  and  girl  affair,  but  it  was  serious  enough 
with  me.  ...  I  do  not  blame  her.  .  .  .  Ever  since 
the  war  began  she  has  been  doing  magnificent  work 
for  us." 

"What  does  her  husband  think  of  that?  Sabis- 
ton  is  not  a  German  name." 

"  She  is  a  widow,"  answered  Karl,  turning  away 
to  the  window  again. 

"Oh!  ...  I  see." 

"  I  had  much  correspondence  with  her,  about 
—  business.  You  recall  the  efficiency  with  which 
the  interned  ships  were  put  out  of  commission? 
That  order  was  sent  through  her." 

"  She  must  have  been  very  helpful,"  said  Billy, 
while  Elfrieda  watched  his  eyes. 

"  I  could  not  tell  you  the  things  she  has  done. 
She  picked  me  up  in  a  motorboat  when  I  landed, 
and  brought  me  to  Washington  with  her.  She  is 
ready  at  any  moment  to  return  when  I  give  the 
word." 

"  The  submarine  is  waiting  for  you?  "  suggested 
Billy. 

247 


MY  COUNTRY 

"  At  our  base  at  —  " 

"  Stop,  Karl !  "  cried  Elf  rieda,  springing  to  her 
feet  and  trembling  with  excitement.  "  Can't  you 
see  his  eyes?  Don't  you  understand  that  he  is 
draining  you  of  everything  you  know  ?  " 

"Eh!    What?  "cried  Karl. 

"  Are  you  sure  he  is  not  leading  you  on  to  tell 
him  your  secrets  ?  "  cried  Elf  rieda.  "  Have  you 
been  watching  his  face  ?  " 

Billy  looked  at  her,  with  one  of  those  smiles  of 
his  that  she  could  never  quite  understand. 

"What  have  you  to  say,  Wilhelm?"  demanded 
Karl,  placing  himself  in  front  of  his  brother. 

Billy  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  What  are  you 
accusing  me  of,  Karl?  "  he  laughed. 

"  I  thought  he  would  not  do  it,"  said  Elf  rieda; 
"  I  was  almost  sure  he  would  not." 

"  You  knew  this,"  cried  Karl  in  a  terrible  voice, 
his  body  shaking,  his  hands  moving  convulsively. 
"  Why  did  you  not  warn  me  last  night?  " 

"  Because,"  she  replied  brokenly,  "  yesterday  I 
was  not  quite  certain.  There  was  a  doubt  in  my 
mind.  He  told  me  that  I  was  an  American,  and 
then  he  trapped  me  by  asking  which  would  win  in 
a  war,  the  United  States,  or  Germany,  and  I  told 
him  that  we  would,  and  then  he  saw  he  had  be- 
trayed my  heart.  I  was  born  here,  in  America. 

248 


THE  BLACK  LEATHER  CASE 

It  makes  a  difference,  Karl,  oh,  my  God,  it  does, 
it  does." 

"  You  should  have  warned  me!  " 

"  How  could  I?  If  I  am  an  American  at  heart 
because  I  was  born  in  this  country,  if  I  am  an 
American  in  spite  of  myself,  although  I  try  to  be 
a  German,  if  I  long  to  be  a  German,  if  I  pray  to 
be  a  German,  why  is  he  not  a  German  because  he 
was  born  in  Germany?  I  asked  myself.  I  could 
not  be  sure.  I  was  tormented,  I  felt  as  if  my  heart 
were  being  torn  to  pieces.  I  watched  his  face  last 
night,  and  saw  that  the  same  doubt,  the  same  fear, 
the  same  frightful  agony  was  in  his  mind.  I  saw 
he  was  not  sure  of  himself,  that  he  wondered. 
Then  how  could  I  be  sure?  I  waited.'* 

"  You  should  have  put  me  on  my  guard,"  said 
Karl,  and  stood  over  her  with  anger  darting  from 
his  eyes. 

"  How  could  I  be  sure  ?  "  she  almost  screamed. 
"  I  am  not  sure  of  myself !  " 

"  I  am  sure  of  myself,"  said  Billy. 

"  I  knew  it !  "  cried  Karl,  exultantly.  "  I  knew 
it !  You  are  loyal  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  said  Billy. 

"  My  heart  told  me  so,"  Karl  laughed.  "  Women 
do  not  understand.  She  quite  upset  me  for  a 
moment." 

249 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Frieda  was  right,"  said  Billy.  "  She  has  un- 
derstood me  all  her  life.  She  saw  last  night  that 
there  was  fear  in  my  heart,  fear  that  on  the  show- 
down I  could  n't  stand  the  gaff.  Well,  I  Ve  found 
I  can." 

"  Then  you  will  help  me  ?  There  is  no  time  to 
lose.  I  realize  how  dangerous  my  position  is,  and 
the  more  quickly  I  can  obtain  what  I  have  come 
for  and  get  away  the  better." 

"  You  are  mad,  Karl ;  stupid." 

"What's  that?" 

Billy  smiled  to  the  roots  of  his  hair. 

"  You  said  that  last  night  you  doubted  yourself," 
said  Karl,  suspiciously. 

"  Only  as  to  my  heart,"  said  Billy,  the  smile 
fading  from  his  face.  "  There  is  a  difference,  Karl, 
between  the  heart  and  the  brain.  I  have  denied 
my  heart  all  that  I  have  ever  wanted,  all  my  life, 
and  the  denial  has  given  me  strength  to  go  on,  to 
the  end." 

Karl  glanced  at  Elfrieda,  then  back  again  to  his 
brother,  and  a  flash  of  understanding  passed  be- 
tween the  two  men. 

"  I  must  know  if  you  will  help  me,"  said  Karl, 
"  I  must  know  now." 

Billy  threw  out  his  arms  with  a  gesture  of 
helplessness. 

250 


THE   BLACK  LEATHER   CASE 

"  You  have  the  fate  of  the  Fatherland  in  your 
hands,"  cried  Karl,  intensely.  "  Would  you  kill 
the  land  that  gave  you  birth,  your  native  land?" 

"  Don't,  Karl,  it  is  hard  enough  as  it  is." 

"  The  life  of  Germany  may  depend  on  what  you 
do  today.  I  have  trusted  you,  brother.  I  have 
planned  for  this,  dreamed  of  it.  Your  Emperor 
is  waiting  for  you." 

"  Is  there  a  bigger  dunce  in  Germany  than  you?  " 
asked  Billy,  in  mock  incredulity. 

"  You  can  speak  that  way  of  your  Kaiser?  "  de- 
manded Karl,  his  face  very  red  under  his  beard 
and  his  eyes  lowering. 

"  I  have  no  Kaiser,  man.  Are  all  of  you  in  Ger- 
many insane  like  this?" 

"  You  owe  to  him  all  that  you  have,  all  that  you 
are  today." 

"  What  nonsense  is  this?  " 

"  Who  put  you  where  you  are  ?  " 

"Put  me  — where?" 

"  In  the  navy." 

"  I  do  not  understand." 

"Who  sent  you  to  Annapolis?" 

"Why,"  said  Billy,  "  Marshfield  did;  he  was  a 
Congressman  then." 

"  Don't  you  know  that  Marshfield  was  ordered 
to  appoint  you?"  Karl  laughed  derisively.  "The 

251 


MY   COUNTRY 

boss  from  whom  he  was  taking  orders  then,  as 
now,  was  Adolph  Bruch.  Don't  you  know  that 
Bruch  was  instructed  to  select  a  bright  and  promis- 
ing German  boy  for  Annapolis?  Don't  you  know 
that  Bruch  chose  you,  and  passed  the  word  to 
Marshfield,  and  that  Marshfield  took  his  orders  and 
appointed  you?  Don't  you  know  that  Bruch  got 
his  orders  from  Berlin?  Who  gives  the  orders  in 
Berlin?  You  are  the  Kaiser's  man." 

Billy's  tongue  clove  to  his  mouth.  He  could  not 
speak.  There  flashed  into  his  memory  a  picture  of 
that  day  in  school,  the  greatest  day  in  his  life.  There 
was  the  platform,  with  Mr.  Black,  and  the  Con- 
gressman, great  man  that  he  was.  And  there  was 
Adolph  Bruch !  He  tried  to  speak  again,  and  could 
not,  for  he  knew  in  his  heart  that  it  was  true. 

"  Of  course  it  is  true,"  said  Karl,  who  had  read 
his  brother's  thoughts.  "  And  when  I  went  back  to 
Germany  they  sent  me  to  Kiel,  although  I  wanted 
to  be  an  engineer.  I  did  not  care  for  the  navy,  but 
in  Germany  they  think  of  everything.  They  have 
watched  you  all  these  years,  they  have  advanced 
you  step  by  step.  You  have  been  designated  As- 
sistant Chief-of-Staff  to  the  Commander-in-Chief, 
the  highest  post  you  can  hold  with  your  rank.  Do 
you  want  me  to  tell  you  where  the  order  for  that 
came  from?" 

252 


THE  BLACK  LEATHER  CASE 

Billy  swayed  forward,  as  he  thought  of  Senator 
Marshfield.  "  Who  told  you  this  ?  "  he  asked,  chok- 
ing on  the  words. 

"  I  found  out  all  about  it  later,"  said  Karl,  "  when 
I  went  to  headquarters.  You  were  sent  to  the 
Naval  Academy  with  this  very  day  in  view,  and 
now  the  day  is  here.  We  need  you  —  I  come  to 
you." 

"  You  are  fools,"  said  Billy,  so  passionately  that 
his  words  were  white  with  heat,  "  fools,  all  of  you, 
from  the  Kaiser  down.  You  might  send  a  yellow 
dog  to  Annapolis,  and  he  would  come  out  a 
gentleman." 

"  You  are  a  Prussian,"  cried  Karl,  "  a  German. 
Your  country  is  dying,  and  you  are  asked  to  save 
her.  The  lives  of  thousands  of  your  fellow  Ger- 
mans depend  on  you.  The  Empire's  condition  is 
desperate.  If  the  United  States  goes  in  against  her 
she  may  die,  die,  I  tell  you,  not  merely  be  defeated, 
but  be  obliterated.  She  may  be  wiped  off  the  earth. 
We  must  have  the  secret  plans  of  the  American 
navy.  When  we  learn  where  it  is,  how  it  is  pro- 
tected, we  shall  know  where  and  how  to  strike,  and 
we  can  destroy  it.  And  with  the  American  fleet 
disposed  of  we  can  starve  England  and  win  the 
war.  Do  you  want  Germany  to  win?  I  am  your 
brother,  Wilhelm,  your  twin,  do  it  for  me." 

253 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  You  are  quite  mad,  Karl,"  said  Billy.  "  Don't 
talk  like  this  to  me  again,  I  beg  you." 

"  You  shall  have  everything  in  the  world  you 
want,"  said  Karl.  "  You  shall  be  rewarded  in  every 
way.  The  people  of  Germany  will  worship  you  to 
the  end  of  time." 

"  Where  is  the  monument  in  England  to  Benedict 
Arnold?  "asked  Billy. 

He  looked  at  Frieda,  who  was  on  her  knees,  weep- 
ing, her  head  buried  in  the  cushion  of  a  chair,  and 
Karl's  eyes  rested  on  her  for  a  moment,  too,  and 
then  flashed  back  to  meet  his  brother's. 

"  You  shall  have  everything  you  want  —  every- 
thing," said  Karl,  his  voice  dying  to  a  whisper. 
"  If  you  do  not  think  it  safe  to  remain  here  after 
you  have  given  to  me  what  I  want  we  will  go  away 
together,  you,  and  I  —  and  Frieda.  The  sub- 
marine is  within  call.  We  will  leave  Washington 
at  night,  and  no  person  will  see  us  go.  In  four  days 
we  shall  be  safely  at  sea,  you,  and  I  —  and  Frieda. 
And  you  shall  marry  her,  Wilhelm,  in  Germany. 
You  shall  have  her,  have  her,  do  you  understand, 
man,  to  do  with  —  as  you  please!  " 

As  Billy's  fist  shot  out  he  slipped  on  the  rug, 
tripped,  and  fell,  and  the  next  instant  Karl  was 
upon  him,  and  gave  him  a  blow  on  the  butt  of  the 
ear  that  laid  him  senseless  on  the  floor. 

254 


THE   BLACK   LEATHER   CASE 

Frieda  crawled  across  the  floor  to  him,  and  took 
his  head  into  her  lap. 

"Billy!  Billy!"  she  wailed.  "Karl!  You've 
killed  him." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Karl,  putting  his  automatic 
back  into  his  pocket,  "  he  will  come  around  all  right. 
It  would  take  more  than  that  to  kill  a  brother  of 
mine.  Take  hold  of  his  feet  there  to  steady  him, 
and  help  me  drag  him  into  this  room." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  Karl?  "  she  cried, 
her  eyes  wide  with  fear. 

"  I  'm  not  going  to  hurt  him,"  he  answered. 
"  Jove !  I  've  never  seen  you  look  like  that  before, 
Frieda  —  what 's  the  matter  with  you?  " 

"  You  shan't  do  anything  to  him,  you  shan't,  do 
you  hear  ?  " 

"  No  hysterics,  please,  I  won't  have  it.  Lend  a 
hand  there  and  help  me  haul  him  in."  He  kicked 
open  the  bedroom  door.  "  Steady  there,  now. 
I  Ve  got  to  get  him  tied  up  before  he  comes  around 
and  gives  me  a  fight." 

"Tied  up!" 

He  took  her  roughly  by  the  shoulder.  "I  want 
no  woman's  word  in  this,  Frieda,"  he  said.  "  Do 
you  understand  ?  Don't  forget  it.  I  've  got  to  tie 
him  up  and  gag  him." 

"  Karl !  I  won't  have  it.  Look !  He  's  bleeding." 
255 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  I  cut  his  ear  a  bit.  It  is  nothing.  Help  me  get 
him  on  the  bed.  There.  Now  for  a  gag,  he  '11  be 
yelling  murder  in  a  minute." 

Karl  gagged  him.  He  pulled  down  the  curtain 
cords  and  the  heavy  silk  ropes  that  held  the  por- 
tieres back,  and  lashed  his  brother's  hands  and  feet 
to  the  brass  bed,  tying  him  with  the  deft  and  tena- 
cious knots  that  sailors  make.  He  took  the  straps 
off  the  trunk  and  bound  him  to  the  bed,  across  the 
thighs  and  chest. 

Billy  came  around,  and  his  eyes  glared.  Karl 
looked  down  at  him  and  laughed. 

"  Sorry  to  do  this,  brother,"  he  grinned,  "  but 
you  know  how  things  are.  I  can't  be  having  you 
loose  now,  you  know  too  much." 

He  went  out,  taking  Elfrieda  with  him,  and 
closed  the  door. 

"  Have  you  searched  the  place?  "  he  asked. 

"No." 

"  Those  were  your  instructions." 

"  I  was  told  to  use  my  best  judgment.  I  decided 
to  wait  for  you.  Besides,  I  could  not  do  it,  Karl. 
He  never  suspected  me,  never  dreamed  why  I  was 
here." 

"  You  will  help  me  now,  search  everything.  We 
have  no  time  to  lose.  You  take  the  things  in  this 
room." 

256 


THE  BLACK  LEATHER  CASE 

"  These  are  not  his  things.  This  is  the  apartment 
of  a  friend.  Billy  has  nothing  here  but  his  clothes, 
and  the  trunk  and  the  bag  in  the  other  room." 

"  Are  you  sure?" 

"  Positive." 

"  I  will  search  the  trunk.    You  search  the  bag." 

"  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  it." 

"  You  will  do  as  I  say." 

"I  won't,  I  won't!" 

Karl  went  into  the  bedroom,  opened  the  trunk, 
and  began  throwing  the  contents  about,  while  Billy 
lay  upon  the  bed,  struggling. 

"  Nothing  but  clothes,"  said  Karl. 

"  Billy !  "  cried  Frieda,  "  I  cannot  help  myself. 
I  did  not  know  he  would  attack  you,  or  I  would 
have  warned  you." 

"  I  did  not  attack  him,"  said  Karl.  "  He  attacked 
me  when  I  asked  his  aid  for  the  Fatherland." 

"  He  struck  you  because  you  insulted  me,"  re- 
plied Frieda,  passionately,  "  because  you  offered  me 
to  him,  as  though  I  were  for  sale  —  as  though  I 
were  a  —  a  Belgian  girl !  " 

"  Is  that  so?  I  did  not  understand.  I  thought — " 

"  You  do  not  understand  because  you  are  not  like 
him.  You  offered  me  to  him  as  if  I  had  been  one 
of  the  —  the  wretched  women  captured  for  the  — 
the  soldiers.  It 's  true,  it 's  true,  I  know  it 's  true." 

257 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Halt! "  cried  Karl.  "  You  will  arouse  every- 
one. You  do  not  know  what  you  are  talking 
about.  Be  silent  and  do  not  interfere  with  me, 
whatever  I  do." 

"  You  are  a  fool,"  said  Frieda.  "  You  have 
gagged  him  without  learning  anything." 

"  He  said  —  " 

"  He  was  born  a  German,  I  tell  you,  just  as  I 
was  born  an  American.  It  makes  no  difference 
what  he  said  —  you  —  you  don't  know  how  it  is, 
Karl,  to  be  torn  like  this,  as  I  am,  as  I  am  sure  he 
is.  You  feel  one  way  one  moment,  and  —  and 
something  quite  different  the  next.  You  don't 
know  what  you  feel,  what  you  think.  I  know  from 
my  own  raw  heart  what  it  is.  He  might  have  told 
you,  he  might  have  helped  you  in  the  end." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Karl,  "  he  might,  I  always 
thought  he  would,  I  knew  he  would.  He  is  my 
brother,  my  twin  brother.  I  will  untie  him  —  no. 
no,  he  would  never  forgive  me  now,  he  has 
hardened  against  me.  He  would  be  revenged.  1 
dare  not  trust  him  now.  I  must  find  what  I  can 
alone." 

"Unfasten  him,  Karl,"  Frieda  begged.  "He 
may  not  help  you,  but  he  will  not  betray  you." 

"  I  dare  not  run  the  risk." 

Karl  seized  her  by  the  arm  and  led  her  from  the 
258 


THE   BLACK  LEATHER   CASE 

room,  forcing  her  face  to  the  light  and  looking  at 
her  with  a  terrible  expression  in  his  eyes. 

"  See  here !  "  he  said,  "  you  play  no  tricks  on 
me.  What  was  it  he  told  you  about  being  born  in 
America?  I  will  have  no  weakness.  You  are  a 
German,  and  you  are  under  my  orders.  You  have 
been  here  with  him  for  some  time  and  must  know 
where  he  keeps  his  papers.  Have  you  asked  no 
questions  ?  " 

"  Let  me  go,  Karl." 

"  By  God,  I  will  not.  You  came  here  to  help  me. 
I  need  your  help.  Do  you  know  where  he  keeps 
any  of  his  papers?  Answer  me." 

"  I  won't;   let  go  my  hand." 

"  Did  you  obey  instructions?" 

"I  tried  to." 

"  Then  where  are  his  papers  ?  " 

"  I  will  not  tell  you." 

"You  will  not?  You  know  then.  I  demand  an 
answer." 

"  I  would  die  first.    I  will  not  betray  him." 

"  Would  you  rather  betray  Germany  ?  Did  you 
not  come  here  to  serve  Germany  in  all  things  ?  Did 
you  not?  " 

"Yes;   I  did.    That  is  true." 

"  What  has  changed  you  ?  " 

"  Nothing." 

259 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  That  is  not  so.  You  are  not  the  same.  Do  you 
not  still  love  Germany  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do." 

"  Then  tell  me  what  you  know,  Frieda.  Time  is 
flying  past.  Do  you  want  to  see  me  shot  by  a 
firing  squad  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Karl." 

"  I  am  in  great  danger." 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  "  cried  Frieda,  wringing  her 
hands,  "what  shall  I  do?" 

"  You  must  help  me.  By  Jove !  I  forgot  to 
search  him." 

He  opened  the  door,  and  went  into  the  bedroom. 
He  felt  in  Billy's  pockets,  and  there  was  nothing 
there,  but  his  watch  fell  out,  and  rolled  from  the 
bed  to  the  floor,  and  the  back  case  flew  open.  A 
photograph  and  a  bit  of  paper  fluttered  out,  and 
Karl  stooped  and  picked  them  up.  He  studied  the 
three  rows  of  figures  written  upon  the  card,  and 
then  stepped  back  quickly  into  the  living  room. 

"  Here  is  a  photograph  of  you,  Frieda,"  he  said. 

"  An  old  one,"  she  nodded. 

"  You  remember  it  ?  " 

"  I  saw  it  yesterday." 

"  Then  you  must  have  seen  this  also,"  and  he 
held  the  card  out  to  her.  "  It  is  the  combination 
of  a  safe." 

260 


THE  BLACK  LEATHER   CASE 

She  looked  at  it,  and  turned  her  head  away. 

"  Look  at  me !  Do  you  wish  to  see  me  die  like 
a  dog?  Then  answer,  what  is  this?  Do  you  wish 
to  break  your  mother's  heart,  see  Germany  laid 
waste,  and  English  troops  in  Berlin?  Then 
answer." 

"  Yes,"  she  said  so  faintly  he  could  hardly  hear 
her,  "  it  is  the  combination  of  a  safe." 

"What  safe?" 

"  At  his  office  in  the  Navy  Department." 

"  How  do  you  know  that?  " 

"  I  was  with  him  when  the  combination  was 
given  to  him." 

"  Was  there  anything  in  the  safe  ?  " 

"  He  put  some  papers  in." 

"What  kind  of  papers?" 

"  I  did  not  see  them,  they  were  in  a  black  leather 
case." 

"  Oh,"  said  Karl,  and  took  a  deep  breath. 

"  Were  they  plans,  orders  —  what  were  they  ?  " 

"  He  did  not  say." 

"  He  has  been  working  on  operations  ?  " 

"  He  has  been  in  consultation  with  the  board  of 
strategy." 

"God!"  said  Karl,  and  took  another  deep 
breath. 

"  You  would  know  his  office  again  ?  " 
261 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Yes." 

"  You  know  how  to  get  there  ?  " 

"  He  showed  me,"  said  Elfrieda,  "  the  day  I  was 
there  —  yesterday !  Turn  to  the  left,  go  up  a  flight 
of  stairs,  second  door  to  the  right." 

"  You  must  go  to  the  Department,  and  get  into 
that  safe." 

"  It  is  impossible.  There  are  guards,  and  no 
visitors  are  admitted  without  passes.  There  is  no 
way  to  get  in." 

"  There  is  always  a  way  for  everything,"  said 
Karl,  and  pulled  his  twany  beard.  "  Wait !  "  he 
cried.  "  I  have  it." 

He  locked  the  bedroom  door  behind  him,  and 
rushed  like  a  madman  into  the  bathroom,  tore  off 
his  coat  and  collar,  and  turned  on  the  hot  water. 
He  found  Billy's  razors,  the  soap,  and  the  strop, 
hanging  on  a  hook  behind  the  door.  Twenty  min- 
utes later  he  walked  back  into  the  room,  and  Frieda, 
who  had  thrown  herself  exhausted  upon  the  couch, 
started  up  with  a  cry: 

"Billy!" 

Karl  laughed.  "  Am  I  as  like  him  as  that  ?  "  he 
asked. 

She  stared  at  him  in  amazement,  and  Karl 
grinned,  and  rubbed  his  face  with  his  hands. 

"  I  have  n't  been  like  this  for  years,"  he  said. 
262 


THE   BLACK   LEATHER   CASE 

"  I  hardly  know  myself  with  a  smooth  face.    Now, 
call  up  the  Willard,  and  ask  for  Mrs.  Sabiston." 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  floor,  smoking  and 
scowling.  Presently  he  took  the  receiver  from 
Elfrieda. 

"  Mrs.  Sabiston  ?  You  recognize  my  voice  ? 
Quite  well,  thank  you.  Can  you  be  ready  to  start 
back  in,  say,  half  an  hour?  Thank  you.  No,  not 
very  successful,  but  things  may  turn  out  all  right 
in  the  end.  I  will  tell  you  when  I  see  you.  This 
is  most  important.  Can  you  be  at  the  north  en- 
trance in  half  an  hour?  We  are  going  back  at 
once.  What 's  that  ?  Yes,  I  fear  so,  but  we  can- 
not wait  for  night,  there  is  not  time." 

He  hung  up  the  receiver,  and  turned  to  go. 

Frieda  looked  at  him  inquiringly. 

"  I  am  going  to  walk  into  Wilhelm's  office," 
whispered  Karl,  "  and  take  those  papers  out  of  his 
safe,  and  you  are  going  with  me  to  show  the  way." 

"  Karl !   I  could  n't  do  that." 

"  You  must,  and  shall." 

'  You  will  be  discovered,  arrested,  you  may  even 
be  —  " 

"  I  fooled  you,"  laughed  Karl,  lightly. 

"  I  see  the  difference  now,"  said  Frieda.  "  Your 
faces  are  not  the  same.  There  is  something 
spiritual  —  " 

263 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Are  you  ready?  " 

"  I  must  say  good  bye  to  him." 

"  Keep  out  of  that  room,"  said  Karl,  and  pushed 
her  from  the  door.  "  I  shall  take  no  chances  with 
you." 

"  I  must  say  good  bye  to  him  —  alone." 

"  Come  with  me,"  he  answered. 

"  Good  bye,  Billy,"  she  called  through  the  door, 
"  Karl  is  —  " 

Karl  put  his  hand  over  her  mouth.  "  No  more," 
he  said,  "  not  another  word.  You  will  spoil  every- 
thing in  a  minute." 

"  I  must  get  my  things  upstairs." 

"  There  is  no  time.  You  have  your  coat  and  hat. 
I  am  waiting." 

"  What  are  we  going  to  do,  Karl  ?  " 

"  I  shall  obtain  that  leather  case,  and  then  we 
shall  return  to  Germany,  in  the  submarine." 

"  Are  you  going  to  leave  Billy  tied  up  like  that  ?  " 

"  It  won't  hurt  him." 

"  He  may  starve  —  he  lives  here  all  alone." 

"  He  will  work  loose  in  two  days ;  by  that  time  I 
shall  have  escaped." 

"  In  two  days  he  will  die  of  hunger." 

"  He  will  be  no  hungrier  than  the  people  of  Ger- 
many. Who  looks  after  his  rooms  ?  " 

"  The  janitor's  wife." 

264 


THE  BLACK  LEATHER   CASE 

"  I  will  call  her  on  the  'phone  and  say  I  am  going 
out,  and  tell  her  not  to  bother  with  my  apartment 
today  or  tomorrow." 

He  called  the  janitor,  and  gave  his  orders.  Then 
he  walked  to  the  bedroom,  and  paused  with  his  hand 
upon  the  knob. 

"  I  will  not  go  in,"  he  said  to  Elfrieda.  "  Good 
bye,  brother,"  he  called  through  the  door.  "  There 
will  be  sorrow  in  Berlin  when  I  return.  They 
trusted  you  so  —  everybody." 

"  And  now,  Frieda,"  he  said,  turning  to  her  sud- 
denly, and  putting  his  face  so  close  to  hers  that  she 
shrank  back  with  a  cry,  and  tried  to  escape  the  hand 
he  closed  over  hers,  "  feel  this  in  my  pocket.  A 
pistol!  So  help  me  God,  Frieda,  if  you  attempt 
any  tricks  I  will  kill  you.  Germany  has  put  her 
trust  in  you  for  this  hour,  and  you  shall  not  fail. 
Swear  that  you  will  not  betray  your  country." 

"  I  promise,  Karl,"  said  Frieda,  faintly. 

"  Do  you  swear?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  you  will  not  attempt  to  communicate  with 
Wilhelm?" 

"  If  you  demand  it  of  me,  Karl,  I  will  not." 

"  Come,  then." 

They  walked  to  the  Navy  building,  and  she  took 
him  to  the  western  archway.  Inside  she  turned  to 

265 


MY   COUNTRY 

the    right    into   the   first   corridor,    and    then    she 
stopped : 

"  Turn  to  the  left,"  she  repeated,  "  go  up  a  flight 
of  stairs,  and  it  is  the  second  door  to  the  right." 

"  Who  will  be  in  the  room?"  asked  Karl. 

"  An  officer  named  Wallis  shares  the  room  with 
Billy." 

"How  does  he  address  him?" 

"  Everyone  calls  him  '  Wallie.' ' 

They  walked  in,  and  there  was  little  Wallis,  busy 
at  his  desk. 

"  Hello,  Billy,"  he  called,  and  got  up,  and  shook 
hands. 

"  Hello,  Wallie,"  laughed  Karl,  and  saw  with  sat- 
isfaction that  the  other  man's  eyes  were  all  for 
Elfrieda.  "  I  dropped  in  to  get  some  papers  I  left 
here  yesterday." 

He  took  the  combination  from  his  pocket,  studied 
it  a  moment,  opened  the  safe,  secured  the  leather 
case,  closed  the  safe,  buttoned  his  coat  over  the 
package,  and  took  Elfrieda's  arm. 

Little  Wallis  followed  them  to  the  door,  and 
looked  longingly  after  them,  and  then  returned  to 
his  desk  with  a  sigh. 

On  the  sidewalk  Karl  lighted  a  cigarette,  nodded 
to  a  watchman,  who  was  going  in,  and  asked  El- 
frieda to  show  him  the  way  to  the  Willard. 

266 


THE   BLACK   LEATHER   CASE 

Mrs.  Sabiston  was  waiting  for  them  in  the  car  at 
the  north  entrance,  with  Bruno  asleep  on  the 
seat  beside  her.  They  stepped  quickly  in,  and  Karl 
took  the  wheel,  and  drove  through  F  street,  east. 

"  We  will  leave  the  car  at  the  railroad  station," 
said  Karl. 

"We  are  not  going  back  the  way  we  came?" 
asked  Mrs.  Sabiston. 

"  It  would  take  too  long,  we  have  not  four  days 
at  our  disposal.  We  must  go  by  train.  You  can 
leave  the  car  with  the  taxicab  people  at  the  depot 
and  have  them  take  it  to  their  garage,  to  be  called 
for  later.  You  go  do  this  while  I  buy  the  tickets." 

Mrs.  Sabiston  and  Elfrieda  joined  him  at  the 
ticket  window  a  few  minutes  later,  and  he  showed 
them  the  tickets. 

"  You  have  bought  them  by  the  B.  &  O.,"  said 
Mrs.  Sabiston ;  "  I  always  use  the  Pennsylvania." 

"  The  other  train  goes  first.  We  must  get  out 
of  Washington  as  quickly  as  possible.  Take  this, 
Mrs.  Sabiston,  and  guard  it  closely.  If  anything 
happens  to  me  see  that  it  is  put  aboard  the  sub- 
marine. And  now  I  must  ask  you  to  send  a 
telegram." 

Mrs.  Sabiston  nodded,  and  took  the  small  black 
leather  case  he  passed  to  her  through  her  muff. 
"What  shall  I  send?"  she  asked. 

267 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  In  code.  Tell  the  wireless  man  to  have  the  sub- 
marine come  back  to  pick  me  up  as  soon  after  mid- 
night tonight  as  possible.  You  have  your  code  book 
with  you?" 

"  Yes.    Where  shall  I  go  to  write  the  message?  " 
"  In  that  telephone  booth.    We  will  wait  here." 
When  Mrs.  Sabiston  returned,  and  filed  the  mes- 
sage, they  walked  through  the  concourse,  and  took 
the   train.      Mrs.    Sabiston   boldly    carried    Bruno 
into  the  parlor-car.     She  expected  the  usual  argu- 
ment with  the  conductor,  but  had  much  faith  in  the 
persuasive  eloquence  of  a  small  gratuity. 


268 


CHAPTER   XX 

MR.    MONSON    GETS    AN    EYEFUL 

"  While  I  am  in  Boston,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  "  I 
think  I  shall  run  down  to  Namaschet,  and  see  how 
Peters  is  getting  along." 

The  Chief  nodded. 

"  In  fact,  I  think  I  had  better  go  there  first,  and 
attend  to  the  Boston  business  later." 

"  Very  well.  You  have  had  absolutely  no  report 
from  Peters?" 

"  Nothing  but  the  one  letter,  that  he  wrote  from 
Scituate.  It  was  rather  personal." 

"What  did  he  say?" 

"  Merely  that  he  had  been  employed  by  Mrs. 
Sabiston  to  run  her  motorboat,  and  that  he  was  en- 
joying himself." 

"  He  had  learned  nothing?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  That  is  not  like  Peters.  Had  he  got  into  the 
house?" 

"  Not  yet." 

"  He  had  searched  nothing,  questioned  nobody  ?  " 

"  Apparently  he  had  not." 
269 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Rather  slow  work,  for  Peters." 

"  There  was  something  about  dogs.  Oh,  yes,  I 
remember.  He  said  that  Mrs.  Sabiston  was  fond 
of  them.  Had  a  pointer  that  wore  a  gold  collar, 
and  some  great  Danes  that  roamed  the  grounds  at 
night,  so  that  he  dared  not  approach  the  house." 

"  That  is  suspicious." 

"  I  thought  so." 

"  What  was  he  doing  with  himself  ?  " 

"  Running  the  motorboat." 

"That  was  all?" 

"  Yes.    She  made  him  go  out  every  day." 

"Alone?" 

"  Sometimes  she  accompanied  him." 

"  Just  sail  around  anywhere  ?  " 

"  Why  no,"  said  Monson,  "  come  to  think  of  it, 
Peters  said  she  made  him  go  straight  out  to  sea  five 
miles,  never  more  and  never  less,  always  five  miles." 

"Then  what?" 

"  Then  back." 

"  That  was  all  he  was  doing?  " 

"  He  mentioned  nothing  else." 

"Has  Mrs.  Sabiston  left  Washington  yet?" 

"  She  is  still  at  the  hotel." 

"  Then  you  would  better  go  over  immediately 
and  give  Peters  a  lift.  It  should  be  easier  to  get 
what  you  want  in  her  absence.  And  if  it  does  n't 

270 


MR.    MONSON    GETS    AN    EYEFUL 

look  like  a  good  prospect,  send  Peters  back.  We 
need  every  man." 

Half  an  hour  later  a  quiet,  middle-aged  gentle- 
man in  spectacles  glanced  up  from  the  newspaper 
that  he  was  reading  in  the  Pullman  of  the  New 
York  train,  then  about  to  leave,  and  observed  a 
belated  party  coming  through  the  car. 

"  Remarkably  handsome  man,"  thought  Mr. 
Monson,  "  and  a  very  good-looking  woman  —  two 
of  them,  as  I  live.  Two  of  the  best-looking  ones 
I  have  seen  in  a  long  time.  Both  German  —  no, 
the  brunette  looks  a  little  like  an  Italian  — '  five 
feet  seven  inches,  weight  one  hundred  and  thirty, 
hair  dark,  general  appearance  stylish,  probably 
Italian '  —  where  did  I  hear  that  description  be- 
fore ?  Sounds  familiar.  She  is  n't  Italian,  though, 
I  can  see  that  now.  That 's  the  American  look, 
you  can't  mistake  it.  You  don't  see  a  face  like  that 
often,  not  once  out  of  a  hundred  thousand.  Hello! 
pointer  dog  —  gold  collar!  Why,  these  must  be 
some  of  Peters'  friends.  I  should  n't  be  surprised 
if  we  had  quite  a  little  reunion  at  Namaschet." 

Mr.  Monson  sauntered  behind  the  party  with 
the  pointer  dog  through  the  Pennsylvania  station, 
in  New  York,  and  his  taxi  followed  theirs  across 
town.  He  was  behind  them  when  they  passed  the 
Boston  gate,  sat  opposite  them  at  table  in  the  din- 

271 


MY   COUNTRY 

ing  car,  listened  to  the  argument  over  the  pointer 
dog,  and  saw  the  bill  passed  and  noted  the  con- 
ductor's smile,  and  other  details. 

But  he  did  not  follow  the  pretty  brunette  when 
she  left  the  car  at  New  London,  for  he  saw  that 
she  was  bare-headed,  and  would  return,  and  be- 
sides, he  was  more  interested  in  the  other  woman. 
So  he  did  not  read  the  messages  that  Elfrieda  filed 
at  the  telgraph  office,  although  one  of  them  would 
have  interested  him. 

It  was  addressed  to  Hannibal  G.  White,  45  Broad- 
way, New  York,  and  read :  "  W.  H.  unsatisfactory 
see  Bruch  immediately,"  and  was  signed  "  S."  The 
other  telegram  was  addressed  to  Mrs.  Sabiston's 
chauffeur,  and  directed  him  to  meet  her  train  at 
Clifton  Junction. 

Nor  did  Mr.  Monson  see  Elfrieda,  when  she  had 
filed  the  two  despatches  that  had  been  written  on 
the  train,  glance  swiftly  around,  seize  a  pen,  and 
write  a  message  of  her  own,  a  message  that  would 
have  puzzled  him,  for  it  was  worded: 

JANITOR, 

Summit  Apartment,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Go  to  Mr.  Lawson's  rooms  at  once  and  find 
watch  I  have  left  on  bedroom  floor. 

W.  H. 
272 


MR.    MONSON    GETS    AN    EYEFUL 

Mr.  Monson  did  not  observe  any  of  these  things. 
Hence  he  was  much  surprised,  when  the  train 
stopped,  fifteen  miles  from  Boston,  a  most  unusual 
thing  for  those  fast  trains  to  do,  to  see  the  pointer 
dog  with  the  gold  collar  escorted  from  the  car  by 
two  very  good-looking  ladies  and  a  tall,  handsome 
man.  He  surmised,  after  glancing  at  the  map  in  his 
time-table,  that  Mrs.  Sabiston  was  making  a  short- 
cut to  Namaschet  by  automobile,  so  that,  upon  reach- 
ing Boston,  he  lost  no  time  in  getting  up  to  the  offices 
of  the  Secret  Service  branch,  and  enlisting  the  serv- 
ices of  six  men. 

He  had  decided  to  go  down  to  Namaschet  that 
night,  by  automobile,  and  felt  that  for  an  expedi- 
tion of  that  kind  too  many  assistants  would  be 
likely  to  prove  less  annoying  than  too  few. 

"  And  by  the  way,"  asked  Mr.  Monson,  when  they 
were  ready  to  start,  "  stop  at  the  first  drugstore  and 
get  a  bottle  of  strychnine,  and  if  you  see  a  grocery 
store  or  a  butcher  shop  open,  let  me  know,  I  want 
three  or  four  big  chunks  of  raw  meat.  Will  you 
attend  to  that,  Roberts?" 

"Yes,  sir  — dogs?" 

"  Danes,"  answered  Mr.  Monson,  and  settled  him- 
self for  a  nap. 

They  shook  him,  when  the  big  touring  car  had 
stopped  in  front  of  the  entrance  to  "  Rock  Crest," 

273 


MY   COUNTRY 

and  Mr.  Monson  got  out,  and  stretched  his  legs  in 
the  roadway,  and  complained  bitterly  of  the  mud. 

"  Gate  's  locked,  sir,"  said  Roberts. 

Mr.  Monson  turned  his  flashlight  on  the  lock,  and 
then  upon  the  driveway. 

"Automobile  tracks,"  he  announced  briefly, 
"  fresh  ones.  The  party  has  gone  in.  Man's  foot- 
prints here  in  the  mud,  lot  of  'em." 

"  The  chauffeur  got  out  to  open  the  gate,"  sug- 
gested Roberts. 

"Yes,  that's  it.  No  —  hello!  Here's  a  foot- 
print over  the  tire  track.  Somebody  else  has  been 
here,  somebody  came  up  and  looked  through  the 
gate  after  the  automobile  had  gone  through.  Rather 
gloomy  place  for  a  lone  pedestrian,  a  cold,  dark 
night  like  this.  What's  down  that  way?" 

"  Stone  wall,  both  sides,"  replied  Roberts,  who 
had  been  looking  about.  "  There  's  the  stump  of  a 
tree  twenty-five  yards  down,  where  we  can  get  over." 

"  Lead  me  to  it,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  and  scrambled 
through  the  wet  bushes.  "  I  '11  go  over  first.  No, 
I  '11  wait  on  the  wall  for  you  fellows,  and  we  '11  all 
go  over  together.  Peters  has  a  graphic  way  of  de- 
scribing dogs.  Hello!  see  here,  more  footprints. 
Our  unknown  also  found  this  stump,  and  got  over, 
judging  by  the  vines  pulled  off  this  wall.  Well,  give 
me  a  leg.  There !  Thanks." 

274 


MR.    MONSON    GETS    AN    EYEFUL 

"  Here  's  the  meat,"  said  Roberts. 

"  Put  the  strychnine  on  it.  Maybe  the  dogs  will 
fall  for  it,  but  I  don't  know  about  these  Danes, 
they're  uncommonly  faithful  and  —  hello!  Gad! 
that  gave  me  a  turn.  Look,  there  in  the  bushes, 
Roberts,  what  do  you  see?"  He  flashed  his  light 
downward  again. 

"  That 's  a  dog,  all  right,"  said  Roberts,  "  a  regu- 
lar elephant.  Dead,  too."  He  scrambled  down  the 
wall,  and  examined  the  dog  under  the  light.  "  Shot 
through  the  head,  Mr.  Monson,"  he  called  softly, 
"  a  forty- four." 

The  other  men  joined  him  on  the  ground,  and 
they  began  picking  their  way  through  the  trees. 
Presently  they  came  to  the  roadway  for  which  they 
had  been  searching,  and  a  hundred  yards  up  the 
drive  lay  the  body  of  another  dog,  shot,  like  the 
first,  through  the  head. 

"  I  don't  know  who  did  it,  but  he  is  my  friend," 
said  Mr.  Monson.  "  And  now  for  the  third  one." 

"Three?"  asked  Roberts.  "Well,  I  hope  — 
here  it  is,  sir." 

The  men  came  up,  and  they  stood  for  a  moment 
looking  down  at  the  Dane,  a  monster,  the  largest  of 
them  all. 

"  Gad !  what  teeth,"  laughed  Monson.  "  No 
wonder  Peters  did  n't  make  more  progress." 

275 


MY   COUNTRY 

They  walked  along  quietly  under  the  thick 
branches  of  the  trees,  threshing  about  in  the  wind. 

"  Stable  —  and  garage,"  whispered  Mr.  Monson, 
presently.  "Any  lights?" 

"  All  dark,"  replied  Roberts. 

"  There  's  the  house,"  said  Monson  after  a  while. 
"  We  've  come  in  the  back  way." 

The  men  passed  through  the  woods,  and  stood 
now  on  the  edge  of  the  grounds,  hesitating,  keep- 
ing in  the  shadows.  Before  them  was  open  sky 
above  the  sea,  which  they  could  hear  roaring  on 
the  beach  below. 

"  Peters  sleeps  in  a  boathouse,  down  that  way 
somewhere,"  said  Mr.  Monson.  "  It 's  at  the  foot 
of  the  cliff,  he  said.  We  must  get  there  somehow, 
but  we  can't  cross  those  open  grounds.  Now  Rob- 
erts, you  —  hello,  Roberts,  did  you  see  that?" 

"What,  sir?" 

"Look,  straight  ahead  and  up,  there.  Get  those 
two  chimneys.  Now  watch  the  north  one.  See 
that!" 

"  Looked  like  a  spark,"  said  Roberts,  softly. 

"Looked?  It  was  a  spark,"  whispered  Mr. 
Monson.  "  There  it  is  again,  running  up  and  down 
like  lightning  —  it 's  a  lightning  rod,  that 's  what 
it  is,  Roberts,  I  can  see  it  now.  Most  peculiar." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  —  " 
276 


MR.    MONSON    GETS    AN    EYEFUL 

"Shucks!  Roberts,"  interjected  Mr.  Monson, 
"  there  's  only  one  thing  it  could  be.  It 's  a  wire- 
less. Wait  a  minute,  now  you  can  see." 

The  round  moon,  like  a  ship  at  sea,  came  riding 
out  of  the  ocean  of  scurrying  cloud.  Monson 
threw  himself  upon  the  ground,  and  looking  up 
brought  her  smiling  prow  in  line  with  the  south 
chimney.  Across  the  silvery  disk  the  spider-like 
wires  traced  their  cobweb  way. 

"  Wireless,  all  right,"  chuckled  Monson,  "  you 
can  see  it  now  as  plain  as  day.  Dandy  place  for 
one,  too,  could  n't  be  better.  Chimneys  were  just 
made  for  it.  But  they  forgot  about  the  induction 
from  that  lightning  rod.  Bad  insulation  —  and  I 
saw  the  spark.  Smart,  but  there  's  always  a  slip 
somewhere.  The  slickest  of  them  will  do  it.  Now 
I  would  like  to  see  Peters  show  up." 

"  Maybe  it  was  Peters  who  killed  those  dogs," 
suggested  Roberts.  "  Has  he  got  a  silencer  on  his 
gun?" 

"  I  guess  so,  but  what 's  that  got  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Roberts,  "  those  dogs  were  shot 
since  the  party  came  in  by  auto." 

"  Yes,"  nodded  Mr.  Monson. 

"  That  could  n't  have  been  more  than  an  hour 
and  a  half  ago.  Whoever  killed  those  dogs  had  a 
silencer,  otherwise  the  people  would  have  heard 

277 


MY   COUNTRY 

the  shots,  and  the  house  would  be  aroused.     You 
see,  it 's  black." 

"  It  could  n't  have  been  Peters,"  said  Mr.  Mon- 
son,  "  unless  he  was  out  tonight.  The  man  who 
made  those  footprints  out  there  killed  the  dogs. 
They  were  shot  by  the  gate,  and  somebody  coming 
in  did  that.  Besides,  the  house  is  n't  as  black  as 
it  looks.  There  's  a  crack  of  light  under  the  win- 
dow over  that  portico." 

"  I  see  it  now,  sir." 

"  You  've  "got  to  look  in  that  window,  Roberts. 
Come  along  with  me,  and  I  '11  give  you  a  boost 
up.  The  rest  of  you  fellows  stay  here,  ready  if 
anything  happens." 

Mr.  Monson  and  Roberts  left  the  shadows  of  the 
woods,  and  cautiously  crossed  the  back  lawn  to  the 
house. 

"  Here  's  a  rose  trellis,  sir!  "  said  Roberts. 

"  Strong  enough  to  hold  you?  Then  up  with 
you." 

Roberts  climbed  up  like  a  cat,  pulled  himself  over 
the  cornice  of  the  portico,  and  crawled  across  the 
roof,  Mr.  Monson  waiting  at  the  foot  of  the  rose 
trellis  until  he  returned. 

"  Well  ?  "  he  asked  in  a  whisper. 

"  Man  sending  wireless,"  said  Roberts,  "  heavy 
man,  brown  mustache,  German." 

278 


MR.    MONSON    GETS    AN    EYEFUL 

"  Very  good,"  replied  Mr.  Monson.  "  And  now 
for  a  look  at  the  front  of  the  house." 

He  beckoned  to  the  other  men,  and  posting  two 
at  the  rear,  led  Roberts  and  the  rest  through  the 
shrubbery. 

They  crept  along  under  the  walls  of  the  main 
building,  turned  the  angle  of  the  south  wing,  and 
passed  around  to  the  piazza. 

"  Plenty  of  light  on  this  side,"  said  Mr.  Monson 
under  his  breath  ;  "  the  folks  have  n't  retired.  You 
wait  here,  while  I  go  get  an  eyeful." 

He  eased  himself  upon  the  piazza,  crept  across 
to  the  window,  and  looked  in. 

"  Good  God! "  said  Mr.  Monson  to  himself,  and 
put  his  shoulder  against  the  window.  A  dog  barked 
as  he  shouted,  "  Come  on,  boys !  "  and  heaved  him- 
self into  the  room,  a  gun  in  each  hand. 


379 


CHAPTER    XXI 

THE   SPARK   ON    THE   CHIMNEY 

Neil  Lawson  opened  his  bedroom  door,  and  was 
half  way  across  the  room  before  he  suddenly 
stopped  as  if  he  had  been  petrified.  Over  his  hand- 
some, boyish  face  spread  a  look  of  mingled  horror, 
astonishment  and  mirth. 

Gradually  he  came  to  his  senses,  his  eyes  blinking, 
his  mouth  twitching.  He  tried  to  speak,  and  suc- 
ceeded only  in  making  incoherent  sounds.  Then 
he  became  galvanic,  and  began  to  pull  frantically 
at  the  straps  that  bound  Billy  to  the  bed.  He 
loosened  the  cords,  and  for  the  first  time  observing 
the  gag,  pulled  it  out. 

"  Where  are  they  ?  "  cried  Billy. 

"  Who  ?    What  the  deuce  —  " 

"  Have  they  gone  ?  " 

"I  —  I  —  "  stammered  Neil. 

"  Get  me  loose,  here.  Thanks,  old  man.  Damned 
lucky  you  came  in.  He  telephoned  the  janitor  not 
to  bother  about  the  rooms  for  two  days,  and  I  had 
reconciled  myself  to  the  thought  of  a  long  fast, 
and  —  I  've  got  to  find  them." 

280 


THE    SPARK    ON    THE    CHIMNEY 

He  struggled  to  his  feet,  and  began  rubbing  the 
soreness  out  of  his  arms  and  legs. 

"  Who  the  devil  —  " 

"  You  laughed  at  me,"  interrupted  Billy. 

"  I  could  n't  help  it,"  admitted  Neil,  "  you  did 
look  so  comical,  stretched  out  there,  tied  up  like  a 
ham.  What 's  the  matter,  burglars  ?  Have  you 
been  robbed?  I  never  had  such  a  shock  in  my  life; 
walked  right  in  —  and  there  you  were." 

"I've  got  to  find  them,"  said  Billy,  "I  must 
find  them,  but  where  to  look —  Give  me  a  ciga- 
rette. Thanks,  Neil,  lucky  you  came  in,  old  man, 
providential.  How  do  you  happen  to  be  back  in 
Washington  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Neil,  full  of  enthusiasm,  his  face 
glowing,  but  a  little  of  shame  in  his  eyes,  "  I  Ve 
got  a  commission  in  the  army  —  captain.  Of 
course  I  'm  not  fit  to  be  a  captain,  don't  know  a 
thing,  but  Senator  Marshfield  fixed  it  up  for  me, 
and  wired  me  to  come  on,  so  I  quit  the  aviation 
school,  and  here  I  am.  Just  got  in.  Don't  know 
where  I  'm  going  or  what  I  'm  expected  to  do,  but 
I  '11  try  to  bluff  it  through.  One  could  n't  turn 
down  a  captaincy,  although  I  —  I  would  rather 
have  got  it  through  merit  than  pull.  Still,  it 's 
fortunate." 

"  Fortunate  for  me,"  said  Billy. 
281 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  How  long  had  you  been  tied  up  like  that  ?  " 

"  Nearly  an  hour." 

"  You  would  have  worked  loose." 

"  In  about  two  days,  yes.  And  then  it  might 
have  been  too  late.  Well,  I  'm  off.  Sorry  about 
the  portieres  and  things,  Neil,  I  '11  —  " 

"  Nonsense,  I  '11  have  them  fixed  up  all  right. 
Whoever  pulled  them  down  was  in  a  hurry,  just 
ripped  them  away.  Who  did  it,  Billy?" 

"  I  —  I  —  I  'd  a  little  rather  —  " 

"  Oh,"  said  Neil,  looking  at  him  curiously. 
"You  —  you  don't  want  to  notify  the  police?" 

"No,"  said  Billy,  quickly,  "no,  I  — I  really 
think  I  'd  better  —  just  let  the  matter  drop.  Rather 
personal  —  sorry  I  can't  tell  you  more,  old  man, 
but  you  —  you  know  —  " 

"  Don't  tell  me,  of  course,"  said  Neil.  "  So  far 
as  my  things  are  concerned  it 's  quite  all  right." 

"  You  are  considerate,  Neil,  I  don't  know  how 
to  thank  you  for  your  kindness,  and  your  —  your 
delicacy.  Now,  I  must  hurry.  I  really  must  not 
delay  any  longer." 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  Can  I  help  you  ?  You 
may  depend  upon  me  for  anything,  Billy." 

"  Thanks.  I  —  I  don't  know  where  I  'm  going. 
Why  —  why,  Neil,  I  don't  know  where  to  go.  All 
I  know  is  that  she  has  gone  —  " 

282 


THE    SPARK    ON    THE    CHIMNEY 

"  Oh,"  said  Neil,  with  a  grin,  "  she  's  gone,  has 
she  ?  By  Jove !  —  she !  " 

"  She  did  nit  tie  me  up,"  explained  Billy,  his  face 
scarlet.  "  I  can't  tell  you,  Neil.  I  would  if  I 
could,  but  there  are  reasons  —  I  can't." 

"  Is  there  anything  I  can  do?  " 

"  I  think  not,"  said  Billy.  "  I  'm  trying  to  re- 
member a  name,  the  name  of  a  woman  —  she  has 
probably  gone  there.  Oh,  I  say,  Neil,  did  you  ever 
hear  of  a  Mrs.  Sabiston  ?  That 's  the  name  I  was 
trying  to  think  of.  They  called  her  on  the  'phone 
just  before  they  left,  and  made  arrangements  to 
go  away  —  by  auto.  I  don't  know  where  she  was 
stopping.'' 

"  Sabiston,"  said  Neil,  wrinkling  his  forehead ; 
"  I  've  read  about  her  some  place  —  where  does  she 
live?" 

*  That 's  what  I  want  to  find  out." 

"  Of  course!    I  'm  very  helpful.    Let  me  think." 

"  She  lives  somewhere  near  Boston,"  said  Billy, 
slowly.  "  It  seems  to  me  I  Ve  heard  that.  Hold 
on,  Neil,  maybe  Mrs.  Winters  would  know." 

He  rushed  to  the  'phone,  and  called  Mrs.  Winters' 
apartment.  Mrs.  Winters  had  not  yet  returned, 
and  the  maid  did  not  know  anything  about  a  Mrs. 
Sabiston.  Miss  Fralli  had  gone  out  to  breakfast 
at  seven,  and  had  n't  come  back  yet. 

283 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  It 's  no  use,  Neil,"  said  Billy,  dejectedly,  "  I  'm 
absolutely  up  against  it." 

"  Are  you  sure  the  lady  lives  near  Boston  ?  " 

"  I  remember  having  heard  that." 

"  Then  she  might  be  in  the  Boston  Blue  Book, 
probably  would.  Let 's  take  a  look." 

"  Where  would  we  find  one  ?  " 

"  There  would  be  one  at  the  Willard,"  answered 
Neil,  after  thinking  for  a  moment.  "  I  '11  go  down 
there  with  you.  Come,  pull  yourself  together,  you 
are  agitated.  We  will  walk,  it  will  do  you  good." 

They  started  out,  but  Billy  insisted  on  taking  a 
taxi,  and  they  were  at  the  hotel  in  a  few  minutes. 
At  the  desk  they  found  a  Blue  Book,  and  Neil 
skimmed  the  pages  rapidly. 

"  Here  it  is,  Billy,"  he  said  presently,  "  '  Sabiston, 
Mrs.  Richard  Brainerd,  nee  Schoenleber  — ' 

"That's  the  one,"  laughed  Billy,  excitedly, 
"  Margaretha  Schoenleber." 

"  Why,  I  knew  her,  I  have  n't  heard  of  her  for 
years.  I  thought  she  went  to  Germany  when  she 
was  a  squab." 

"  She  married  an  American,  and  came  back,  some 
years  later." 

"  '  Commonwealth  avenue,'  "  said  Neil,  reading, 
"  '  Namaschet ' — her  summer  home  is  there." 

"  That 's  the  place,"  said  Billy,  "  I  'm  sure." 
284 


THE    SPARK    ON    THE    CHIMNEY 

"  Mrs.  Sabiston  has  left,"  interrupted  a  clerk  who 
had  been  standing  near. 

"She  was  here?" 

"  She  went  away  this  morning,  by  automobile." 

"  How  long  ago?  " 

"  Maybe  half  an  hour.  I  saw  her  in  the  lobby  with 
the  dog.  Handsomest  dog  I  think  I  ever  saw ;  wore 
a  solid  gold  collar,  with  a  diamond  in  the  locket." 

"  Gold  collar !  "  interrupted  Neil.  "  Was  it  a  liver 
and  white  English  pointer?" 

"  That 's  the  one,"  nodded  the  clerk. 

"  Two  women  and  a  man  ?  "  asked  Neil. 

"  Mrs.  Sabiston  was  alone,  she  did  n't  even  have 
a  maid." 

"  I  saw  the  dog  in  the  Union  Station,  going 
through  the  New  York  gate,  as  I  was  coming  in 
this  morning,"  said  Neil,  turning  to  Billy.  "  Two 
women  and  a  man.  One  of  the  women  was  a  perfect 
stunner." 

"  Yes,  that  is  so,"  smiled  Billy,  enthusiastically. 

"Tall,  slender  —  " 

"  Yes,  yes." 

"  —  blonde,"  finished  Neil,  rapturously,  "a  per- 
fect corker,  face  like  soft  pink  velvet,  and  big  blue 
eyes,  oh,  she  was  —  " 

"  That 's  not  the  one,"  interrupted  Billy,  crest- 
fallen. 

285 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  That  was  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  grinned  the  clerk. 

"  That  Margaretha  Schoenleber !  "  cried  Neil. 
"  Not  in  a  thousand  years.  She  was  beginning  to 
bulge  when  I  was  a  kid.  She  must  have  a  shape  like 
a  bushel  of  potatoes  by  this  time." 

"  That  was  Mrs.  Sabiston,  all  right,"  insisted 
the  clerk,  "  and  she  has  the  best  figure  that  I  've  seen 
in  Peacock  Alley  this  winter,  too.  Well,  she  ought 
to  have.  Plenty  of  porterhouse  steak  went  up  to 
her  dining  room  —  for  the  dog.  All  she  ate  while 
she  was  here  was  hominy  and  spinach,  and  listen  to 
what  I  'm  saying,  if  many  more  women  go  in  for 
this  new  fad  a  whole  lot  of  hotels  are  going  to  close 
up  before  long." 

"  What  was  the  other  woman  like?  "  asked  Billy, 
anxiously. 

"  The  other  one,"  said  Neil,  "  let  me  see  now. 
Tan  shoes  and  spats,  and  sand-colored  silk  stock- 
ings. Is  that  the  one  you're  looking  for?" 

"Tall?" 

"  Yes,  rather.  I  did  n't  notice  particularly,  don't 
care  much  for  brunettes." 

"She  was  dark?" 

"  I  think  so.  But  the  other  woman  —  well,  if 
I  had  known  that  Margaretha  Schoenleber  was 
going  to  grow  up  to  have  sense  enough  to  live  on 
spinach,  I  'd  have  gone  to  Germany  myself." 

286 


THE    SPARK    ON    THE    CHIMNEY 

"What  kind  of  a  man  was  with  them?"  asked 
Billy. 

"  Chap  about  your  build." 

"  Oh." 

"  He  had  his  hat  pulled  down  over  his  eyes,  so 
I  did  n't  see  him,  but  that  blonde  —  " 

"They  were  taking  a  train?" 

"  They  were  going  through  the  New  York  gate." 

"  I  'm  off  to  Namaschet,"  said  Billy.  "  I  have 
two  days'  leave." 

"  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you,  old  man  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  Neil,  thanks,  good  bye." 

Billy  jumped  into  a  taxi.  Half  an  hour  later 
he  was  on  the  Pennsylvania  express,  on  the  way 
to  New  York.  He  arrived  in  Boston  in  time  to 
catch  a  late  train  to  Namaschet,  and  rode  to  the 
gate  of  "  Rock  Crest  "  in  the  town  jitney. 

"  Mrs.  Sabiston  came  by  here  a  short  time  ago," 
the  chauffeur  said  as  they  rode  along.  Billy  watched 
the  man  turn  back,  and  then  tried  the  heavy  iron 
gate.  It  was  locked. 

He  shook  it,  and  looked  through  the  bars.  A 
heavy-breathing  animal  came  up,  and  Billy  could 
see  its  white  teeth  glistening  in  the  darkness. 

"  Dane,"  he  said,  "  and  about  the  largest  one  I 
ever  saw.  Nice  sort  of  people  must  live  here." 

He  walked  along  by  the  high  stone  wall  that 
287 


MY   COUNTRY 

bordered  the  road,  stumbling  through  the  bushes 
that  were  wet  with  the  rain  that  had  been  falling. 
Twenty-five  yards  away  he  came  upon  the  stump 
of  a  tree.  He  climbed  up,  scrambled  to  the  top  of 
the  wall,  and  peering  down  in  the  gloom  saw  that 
the  dog  had  followed  him,  silently,  its  head  back, 
its  fangs  uncovered. 

"  Old  man,"  said  Billy,  "  you  are  as  fine  a  dog 
as  I  ever  saw,  and  under  many  circumstances  you 
and  I  could  be  great  friends,  but  just  now  you  are 
interfering  with  my  plans.  I  did  n't  come  all  the 
way  up  here  to  let  anything  stop  me  now." 

He  took  his  pistol  from  his  pocket,  examined  it, 
leaned  down,  and  fired. 

The  great  Dane  collapsed. 

"  The  silencer,"  said  Billy  to  himself,  "  has  some 
drawbacks.  I  'd  be  rather  glad  if  somebody  would 
come  down  now  and  show  me  the  way  up  to  the 
house." 

He  dropped  over  the  wall,  and  walked  slowly 
through  the  trees,  found  the  roadway,  and  followed 
it  over  the  hill.  At  a  turn  in  the  road  the  tawny 
body  of  a  huge  beast  loomed  before  him  in  the  dim 
light  that  showed  beneath  the  archway  of  trees. 

"  Another  one !  "  said  Billy,  and  got  his  gun  out 
just  in  time.  A  little  further  on  he  killed  the  third 
Dane,  and  after  that  he  walked  more  warily. 

288 


THE    SPARK    ON    THE    CHIMNEY 

"  That  was  my  last  cartridge,"  he  thought.  "  I 
wonder  if  they  have  any  more  dogs?  Nice  people, 
very  nice  people,  so  hospitable." 

He  emerged  at  last  from  the  shadows  of  the 
woods,  passing  the  dark  and  silent  garage,  and 
stood  for  a  moment  on  the  lawn,  looking  at  the 
house  framed  against  the  wintry  sky. 

"  This  must  be  the  back  of  it,"  he  thought ;  "  it 
probably  faces  the  sea,  that  is  how  I  should  have 
built  it.  Fine  old  place,  middle  part  pure  Colonial, 
look  at  those  old-fashioned  chimneys  —  hello !  what 
the  deuce  was  that  ?  Looked  like  a  spark  —  there 
it  is  again  —  it  is  a  spark.  It 's  a  radio,  could  n't 
possibly  be  anything  else.  Portable  radio.  So,  Mrs. 
Sabiston,  you  have  been  very  helpful,  have  you? 
Well,  I  rather  guess  yes.  Very  clever,  very,  but 
somebody  forgot  about  the  lightning  rod  on  the 
north  chimney.  Bad  insulation,  and  I  saw  the 
spark.  Things  are  beginning  to  look  quite  inter- 
esting. I  'd  like  to  take  a  peep  under  the  window 
shade  in  that  room  over  the  portico.  Well,  I  may 
do  it  yet,  the  night 's  young." 

He  walked  around  the  corner  of  the  south  wing, 
following  the  driveway,  stepped  on  the  piazza,  and 
lifted  the  heavy  brass  knocker.  A  dog  barked. 

"  By  Jove !  another  Dane.  No,  that 's  a  smaller 
dog."  He  waited,  and  knocked  again.  The  door 

289 


MY   COUNTRY 

was  opened,  and  Mrs.  Sabiston,  in  evening  dress, 
stood  framed  against  the  light,  a  pointer  dog  bark- 
ing at  her  side,  and  behind  her,  Karl,  in  the  suit 
of  gray  in  which  he  had  left  Washington.  They 
stared  at  him  unable  to  say  a  word  as  he  walked 
gravely  into  the  hall. 

"  Put  your  gun  up,  Karl,"  said  Billy,  and  took 
off  his  hat  and  coat. 

"  How  the  devil  —  "  Karl's  eyes  were  hard  and 
cold,  like  two  tempered  steel  drills.  Billy's  were 
soft,  with  the  blue  light  in  them. 

"  Don't  look  at  me  like  that,  Karl,"  he  laughed. 
"  I  did  n't  come  here  to  interfere  with  you.  Get 
away  if  you  can  make  it;  perhaps,  after  all  — 
He  paused,  as  he  thought  of  the  spark  he  had  seen 
on  the  chimney,  and  then  he  added  slowly :  "  I 
came  for  Frieda ;  where  is  she  ?  " 


290 


CHAPTER    XXII 

THE  PARTING  OF  THE   WAYS 

Mrs.  Sabiston  was  very  glad  to  meet  Billy  again. 
She  remembered  him,  of  course,  and  how  she  had 
made  faces  at  him  through  the  fence,  in  the  old 
days,  and  she  smiled  at  the  recollection  as  she  led 
the  way  into  the  drawing  room. 

"  She  is  very  good  looking  for  a  blonde,"  thought 
Billy,  "  but  Neil  has  a  primitive  taste  in  beauty." 

He  crossed  the  room  to  the  big  fireplace,  and 
then,  looking  about  him,  he  asked  again,  "  Where 
is  Frieda  ?  " 

"  She  is  here,"  replied  Karl,  ungraciously. 

Frieda  at  that  moment  came  in,  very  quietly,  and 
Billy  saw,  as  he  took  her  hand,  that  her  face  was 
drawn  and  white.  She  wore  her  hat  and  coat,  and 
carried  a  small  satchel  in  her  hand.  On  the  divan, 
by  the  window,  lay  a  heavy  ulster,  and  by  it  a 
woman's  motor  wrap. 

"They  are  going,"  thought  Billy;  "I  have  got 
here  just  in  time." 

"  How  like  your  brother  you  are !  "  said  Marga- 
291 


MY   COUNTRY 

retha,  looking  from  Billy  to  Karl.  "  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  tell  them  apart,  is  it  not,  Elfrieda?  " 

"  There  is  a  great  difference,"  replied  Elfrieda, 
"  in  the  eyes,  and  about  the  mouth." 

"  Yes,  I  notice  it  now,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston,  and 
thought :  "  Karl  is  the  handsomer." 

Elfrieda  put  her  satchel  on  the  table,  and  turned 
to  the  window,  and  stood  looking  out  across  the 
lawn  to  where  the  ocean  lay  dark  and  sullen  under 
the  clouds.  Billy  followed  her  with  his  eyes.  Then 
he  asked: 

"  You  are  leaving,  Karl  ?  " 

Karl's  eyelids  narrowed,  and  he  looked  at  his 
brother  closely. 

"  Yes,"  he  admitted,  after  a  long  pause,  "  yes,  we 
are  going  away  —  tonight." 

"  Elfrieda  is  not  going." 

"  You  are  mistaken ;  she  is  returning  with  me." 

"  I  cannot  have  her  in  Germany  now,"  said  Billy. 
"There  is  too  much  suffering  there  —  and  things 
may  soon  be  worse.  She  might  be  hungry,  ill  —  she 
might  even  die,  and  the  crossing  would  be  danger- 
ous, very  dangerous,  Karl,  as  you  know." 

"  That  is  true,"  conceded  Karl,  "  but  notwith- 
standing, she  is  going  with  me,  so  there  need  be  no 
argument  about  that." 

"  They  are  ready  to  go,  that  is  certain,"  thought 
292 


THE   PARTING  OF  THE   WAYS 

Billy,  "  yet  there  is  no  car  at  the  door  and  the  garage 
was  dark  as  I  came  by.  Can  it  be  possible  that  the 
submarine  is  coming  in  here  ?  " 

He  walked  to  the  window,  where  Mrs.  Sabiston 
had  joined  Elfrieda,  and  looked  over  their  heads 
at  the  vast  expanse  of  heaving  billows  spread  before 
them,  and  at  the  breakers  foaming  over  the  reefs. 

"  You  are  close  to  the  sea,  Margaretha ;  I  had  no 
idea.  Rather  a  rocky  coast,  quite  dangerous,  I 
should  think." 

"  Very,"  answered  Mrs.  Sabiston,  shortly. 

"  Ugly  looking  reefs." 

"  Very." 

"  Where  is  the  nearest  harbor  ?  " 

"  Harbor  ?  Oh,  north  of  us,  not  a  great  distance." 
Margaretha  went  back  to  the  fire,  and  then  began  to 
pace  the  floor  nervously,  glancing  from  time  to  time 
at  the  watch  on  her  wrist.  At  her  side,  back  and 
forth  across  the  room,  walked  Bruno,  who  could 
not  bear  to  be  away  from  her  an  instant.  Billy 
turned  to  Elfrieda. 

"  Are  you  really  going  away  from  me,  girl  ?  " 

"  I  must,"  she  answered  in  a  faint  voice.  "  You 
don't  understand,  Billy,  you  do  not  know  all  the 
things  that  I  know.  I  must  go  back !  "  Her  hands 
were  tightly  clasped  together,  and  he  saw  that  her 
body  was  tense  with  suppressed  emotion. 

293 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  No  one  can  make  you,  dear,"  said  Billy,  quietly, 
"  if  you  do  not  wish  to  go." 

"  You  do  not  understand." 

"  No  one  shall  force  you  to  go  against  your  will. 
Give  me  the  right  to  speak  for  you,  dear,  and  you 
shall  stay  here  with  me." 

"  I  cannot,  Billy." 

"  You  must  reach  a  great  decision  tonight,  Frieda. 
You  have  come  to  the  parting  of  the  ways." 

"  I  know,"  she  answered  in  a  low  tone. 

"  You  have  thought  —  of  all  the  things  we  have 
talked  about  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  your  mind  is  made  up  —  about  every- 
thing?" 

"  I  do  not  know,  I  —  I  cannot  see  my  way." 

"  It  is  very  clear  before  you,  it  seems  to  me." 

"  That  is  because  you  do  not  understand." 

"  Oh,  but  I  do,  dear,  I  have  been  through  it  all 
myself." 

"  It  is  different  with  me.  There  is  something, 
I  cannot  tell  you  what  it  is,  something  that  I  am 
beginning  to  see  is  terrible." 

Billy  looked  back  across  the  room.  Margaretha 
and  Karl  were  standing  close  together  by  the  fire- 
place. He  held  her  hand  as  he  bent  over  her,  and 
her  face  was  as  white  as  Elfrieda's. 

294 


THE   PARTING   OF   THE   WAYS 

"  It  is  a  trying  time  for  many  of  us,  dear,  for 
others  as  well  as  for  yourself,"  Billy  whispered. 
"  For  me,  also,  Frieda." 

"  I  know.  You  should  not  have  come,  Billy,  but 
I  was  sure  you  would  know  how  I  needed  you  — 
and  come  to  me."  Her  lip  was  trembling. 

"  I  am  here,"  he  said  simply. 

"  When  we  arrived,  and  I  learned  that  all  the 
plans  were  made,  and  that  we  were  going  to  leave 
tonight,  I  feared  you  could  not  reach  me  in  time." 

"  I  started  as  soon  as  I  was  released." 

"  You  do  not  blame  me  for  any  share  in  that  ?  " 

"  Frieda !  No,  dear,  you  had  nothing  to  do  with 
it" 

"  You  trust  me  so." 

"Am  I  not  here?" 

"  But  how  did  you  manage  that  ?  It  has  puzzled 
me.  I  could  not  put  the  address  in  the  telegram, 
I  could  n't  even  send  you  word,  Karl  made  me 
swear  I  would  n't.  What  time  did  the  janitor  find 
you?" 

"Janitor!" 

"  I  told  him  to  look  in  your  bedroom  for  your 
watch,  and  I  signed  your  name  to  the  telegram, 
but  I  did  n't  have  a  chance  to  send  it  until  we  had 
reached  New  London.  You  must  have  come  some 
shorter  way." 

295 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  I  have  n't  the  faintest  idea  what  you  are  talk- 
ing about,"  laughed  Billy.  "  Did  you  send  a  tele- 
gram to  the  janitor  —  to  go  to  my  room  to  look 
for  my  watch  ?  By  Jove !  that  was  clever,  Frieda." 

"He  found  you?" 

"Well,  no,"  smiled  Billy;  and  then,  apologeti- 
cally, as  though  he  was  sorry  he  had  not  waited 
for  the  janitor,  "  Neil  Lawson  came  in  unexpect- 
edly, an  hour  after  you  had  left.  I  learned  that 
you  had  taken  the  train  to  New  York,  and  con- 
cluded that  you  would  come  here.  You  and  Karl 
must  have  gone  directly  from  the  apartment  to  the 
station." 

"  No,"  said  Frieda,  impulsively,  "  we  went  to 
the  Navy  Department  first,  and  —  " 

"  Navy  Department !  "  exclaimed  Billy,  his  voice 
rising  unconsciously. 

"What's  that!"  cried  Karl,  his  throat  choked 
with  anger.  "  Frieda,  you  have  broken  your  prom- 
ise, you  have  —  " 

"  Not  quite  so  loud,  please,  in  speaking  to 
Frieda,"  said  Billy,  turning  upon  his  brother  sud- 
denly, and  holding  out  his  hand,  warningly. 

Karl  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  It  is  nearly  time,"  he  said  in  an  undertone  to 
Mrs.  Sabiston.  "Is  the  motorboat  ready?" 

"  I  brought  it  in  to  the  flat  rock  myself,"  she  an- 
296 


THE   PARTING  OF  THE  WAYS 

swered,  looking  at  him  with  admiration  in  her  eyes. 
"  Everything  is  attended  to." 

"  You  are  quite  sure  you  can  come  back  alone  ?  " 

"  Quite  sure." 

"  Don't  you  think  you  would  better  take  one  of 
the  men  along  with  you?  It  is  rough  outside 
tonight." 

"  It  was  decided  that  we  would  not  trust  them, 
besides,  they  have  been  unable  to  venture  out  by 
day,  and  so  could  not  learn  the  course,  and  the 
channel  through  the  reefs.  I  must  go  alone  with 
you  and  Frieda." 

"  Let  us  be  off,  then,"  said  Karl,  aloud,  looking 
once  more  at  his  watch. 

"  Frieda  is  not  going,"  interrupted  Billy,  "  and  I 
am  not  at  all  sure  now  that  you  are." 

;*  You  speak  with  considerable  positiveness  for 
a  man  who  has  absolutely  nothing  to  say  about  it," 
replied  Karl,  with  a  note  in  his  voice  that  Billy  had 
never  heard  before  in  any  voice  addressed  to  him 
by  any  man. 

"  What  were  you  doing  at  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment?" 

'  You  shall  pay  dearly  for  giving  me  away,"  cried 
Karl,  savagely,  turning  upon  the  girl  with  a  snarl, 
"  you  have  broken  your  word." 

"  You  shall  not  threaten  her,"  said  Billy.  "  This 
297 


MY   COUNTRY 

business  has  gone  far  enough,  farther,  I  see  now, 
than  I  had  ever  dreamed.    I  must  know  everything." 

"  What  shall  I  do!  "  moaned  Frieda,  "  what  shall 
I  do!" 

"  Think  what  you  have  done,"  cried  Karl. 

"  I  could  not  help  it,  Karl." 

"  You  have  brought  him  here  to  betray  me." 

"  That  is  not  so,"  exclaimed  Billy.  "  I  came  of 
my  own  accord,  to  see  her  again,  perhaps  for  the 
last  time.  I  had  hoped  that  you  would  get  away.  I 
had  thought  that  nobody  had  seen  you,  that  nobody 
knew  that  you  had  been  here,  and  I  believed  that 
you  had  gained  nothing,  had  learned  nothing,  but 
now  —  " 

"Well,  now?    What  then?"  demanded  Karl. 

"  You  can't  go." 

"  I  shall  go,  and  nothing  shall  prevent  me." 

"  I  can't  permit  it." 

Karl  laughed.  "  I  might  have  known,"  he  said 
bitterly,  but  speaking  easily,  as  one  who  felt  quite 
sure  of  himself,  and  of  his  strength,  "  that  a  man 
who  would  betray  his  country  would  betray  his 
brother." 

"  I  have  betrayed  neither  the  one  nor  the  other." 

"  You  could  have  saved  your  Fatherland  in  its 
hour  of  travail,"  cried  Karl,  "  you  are  a  traitor  to 
your  native  land." 

298 


THE    PARTING   OF   THE   WAYS 

"  I  have  a  higher  obligation." 

"  There  is  no  obligation  greater  than  that  which  a 
man  owes  to  the  land  of  his  birth." 

"  Unless  he  deliberately  assumes  that  obligation." 

"  You  are  a  Prussian." 

"  I  am  an  American." 

"  What  do  the  other  men  in  your  service  think  of 
that?" 

"  Why  —  "  The  shot  went  home,  as  Billy  recalled 
what  some  of  his  brother  officers  did  think  on  that 
subject. 

Karl  looked  at  him  and  laughed  coarsely. 

"  It  does  not  matter  what  they  think,"  said  Billy. 
"  It  is  what  I  think  that  counts.  I  am  an  American 
citizen." 

"Skin  deep!" 

"  I  took  the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  I  have  renewed 
that  oath  a  thousand  times,  in  every  act  of  my  life, 
in  every  salute  to  the  colors." 

"  It  is  a  temporary  allegiance.  You  were  born  a 
German,  and  once  a  German  always  a  German.  This 
country  is  a  mongrel  nation,  made  up  of  derelicts 
from  all  the  world.  Their  business  is  here,  their 
hearts  are  elsewhere.  How  can  you  stand  against 
your  own  blood,  when  the  destiny  of  kin  and  country 
rests  in  your  hands?" 

"  The  destiny  of  Germany  does  n't  rest  in  my 
299 


MY   COUNTRY 

hands,"  Billy  answered.     "  Your  nerves  are  in  a 
dreadful  state,  Karl." 

"  We  planned  to  place  it  there." 

"  You  are  quite  mad." 

"  Mad !  Why  did  we  have  you  made  Assistant 
Chief-of-Staff  to  the  Commander-in-Chief  ?  Do 
you  think  we  merely  wanted  to  tickle  your  vanity? 
It  was  because  that  assignment  would  put  you,  in 
time  of  action,  in  the  flag  conning  tower,  with  the 
Admiral  and  his  Chief-of-Staff." 

"What  of  that?" 

"  Once  they  were  out  of  the  way,  the  fate  of  the 
war  would  have  been  in  your  keeping." 

"Karl!" 

"  The  battle  would  have  been  yours  —  to  throw 
away.  You  could  have  delivered  the  North  Atlantic 
fleet  into  our  hands,  manoeuvred  it  across  our  mine 
fields!" 

"  Time  enough  for  you  to  be  figuring  on  what  to 
do  with  the  American  fleet  when  you  have  defeated 
the  British  fleet,"  remarked  Billy,  drily. 

"  We  shall  take  care  of  that,"  cried  Karl. 

Something  in  his  voice  made  Billy  look  at  him 
sharply. 

"  We  are  coming  out!  " 

"When?" 

Karl's  voice  grew  tense.    "  The  day  is  at  hand !  " 
300 


THE   PARTING  OF  THE   WAYS 

"And  then?" 

"  It  will  be  America's  turn.  Then  we  shall  starve 
England,  and  win  the  war.  You  had  a  part  to  play 
in  this,  a  great  part,  planned  long  ago,  and  when 
the  hour  came  you  proved  false  to  your  own  blood." 

"  Stop,  Karl !  You  do  not  know  what  you  are 
saying." 

"  It  was  all  planned,  I  tell  you,"  Karl  went  on,  his 
great  excitement  increasing,  his  voice  rising.  "  You 
would  have  been  in  a  position  to  give  every  order  to 
the  fleet  by  radio,  every  signal." 

"  What  would  the  Admiral  and  the  Chief-of-Staff 
have  been  doing  all  this  time?"  demanded  Billy, 
smiling  in  spite  of  himself  as  he  looked  into  Karl's 
face,  alive  with  emotion. 

"  My  God !  "  said  Karl,  "  would  odds  of  two  to 
one  have  proved  too  great  for  you?  Then  you  are 
no  brother  of  mine." 

"  You  don't  mean  —  "  Billy's  voice  sank  to  an 
incredulous  whisper. 

'  You  could  have  taken  care  of  both  of  them,  as 
the  action  began.  When  they  had  been  done  for  — 
no  one  would  have  known.  You  would  have  been 
in  command  of  the  whole  fleet." 

"  Done  for ! "  said  Billy,  his  face  white. 

"  God !  you  could  have  killed  them  both  with 
one  shot." 

301 


"You  scoundrel!" 

"  That  was  your  chance,"  Karl  went  on  reck- 
lessly, his  whole  body  shaking  convulsively,  his 
forehead  wet  with  sweat.  "  The  Emperor  would 
have  conferred  on  you  the  Order  of  the  Red  Eagle, 
yes,  brother,  you  might  have  been  a  Prince  of  the 
Empire,  you  might  have  had  wealth,  and  honors  — 
and  the  woman  you  love.  That  is  what  you  have 
thrown  away  by  your  treason.  But  there  is  a  hope 
yet.  It  is  not  too  late.  There  is  still  time,  if  you 
will  say  the  word,  if  you  will  promise  to  help  your 
Fatherland." 

"  I  do  not  think  you  are  naturally  a  villain,  Karl," 
said  Billy,  looking  into  his  brother's  twitching  face, 
"  I  think  you  are  a  crazy  man." 

"  You  refuse  to  aid  us,  to  save  your  own  kindred 
in  their  hour  of  agony?  " 

"  My  own  brother !  "  cried  Billy. 

"  You  mongrel !  "  said  Karl,  looking  into  the 
depths  of  his  eyes,  his  passionate  voice  full  of 
bitter  scorn  and  contempt.  "  You  are  no  longer 
my  brother." 

"  I  fear  that  is  true,  Karl." 

"  I  disown  you." 

"  You  have  changed  so,  Karl,  I  scarcely  know 
you  for  the  brother  of  my  boyhood." 

"The  change  is  in  you,  you  traitor." 
302 


THE   PARTING  OF   THE  WAYS 

"  Frieda !  "  called  Billy,  "  where  's  the  telephone  ? 
I  must  call  up  the  Charlestown  Navy  Yard." 

Karl  laughed.  "  You  are  rather  late  in  reaching 
a  decision  to  expose  me,"  he  said  with  a  sneer. 

"  I  thought  at  first  that  you  had  come  here  to 
corrupt  me,"  said  Billy,  slowly.  "  That  was  per- 
sonal, Karl.  I  strained  my  conscience,  and  because 
you  are  my  twin,  I  thought  I  would  let  you  go 
back  unopposed,  since  you  had  learned  nothing  here. 
But  I  find  you  are  a  spy,  and  worse.  It  breaks 
my  heart  to  do  it,  but  I  must  do  my  duty  now." 

"Don't  shoot,  Karl!"  Frieda,  who  had  been 
watching  them,  her  nails  dug  into  her  palms,  threw 
herself  between  the  two  men,  while  Margaretha,  a 
smile  on  her  lips,  sank  into  the  arm  chair  by  the 
fire,  and  pulled  the  pointer  into  her  lap. 

Karl  pushed  Elfrieda  roughly  out  of  his  way, 
and  the  pistol  in  his  hand  moved  to  the  waist  line. 

"What  did  you  do  at  the  Department?"  de- 
manded Billy,  his  voice  low  and  even,  his  eyes 
never  for  an  instant  leaving  Karl's. 

"  He  took  some  papers,"  cried  Elfrieda,  hysteri- 
cally; "  thank  God,  I  Ve  told  you." 

"  And  now  I  've  got  to  kill  him,"  said  Karl,  and 
pulled  the  trigger. 

The  weapon  missed  fire,  and  Karl  looked  up  into 
the  muzzle  of  a  big,  black  forty-four. 

303 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Your  gun  jammed.  That 's  the  trouble  with 
those  automatics,  they  get  all  clogged  up  with  grit 
and  dirt  and  dampness.  We  're  going  back  to  the 
old  revolver  in  our  service.  Throw  it  over  into 
that  cushion !  "  And  Billy  pushed  the  black  barrel 
into  his  brother's  stomach. 

Karl  tossed  the  automatic  into  the  chair,  and 
Billy  picked  it  up,  and  shoved  his  own  pistol  back 
into  the  holster  under  his  shoulder. 

"  Mine  was  empty,"  he  explained,  "  had  to  shoot 
three  big  dogs  on  the  way  down  to  the  house. 
I  'd  have  been  rather  up  against  it  if  there  had  been 
four." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Margaretha,  "  I  had  wondered." 

"  Damn  you,"  cried  Karl,  fervently. 

"  Thanks.  And  now,  about  that  trip  to  the  Navy 
Department.  So  that  is  why  you  shaved  those 
handsome  whiskers  off?  I  should  have  thought 
of  that." 

Mrs.  Sabiston  got  up  languidly,  moved  over  to 
the  mantelpiece,  stroked  Bruno's  ears  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  walked  toward  the  door. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Margaretha,"  said  Billy, 
"  but  won't  you  please  be  seated." 

"  I  'm  afraid  I  don't  quite  understand." 

"  I  hate  to  lose  an  audience." 

"  I  shall  be  right  back." 
304 


THE   PARTING  OF   THE   WAYS 

"  If  you  would  just  as  soon! "  He  pointed  to 
a  chair. 

"  Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston,  and  sat  down. 

"  Thank  you.  So,  Karl,  you  quit  the  jungle  and 
appeared  for  the  first  time  in  eight  years  in  the 
civilization  of  a  smooth  face.  And  then  you  went 
to  the  Navy  Department.  What  next?" 

"  Take  that  gun  out  of  my  stomach." 

"  We  have  n't  come  to  that  part  yet,"  smiled 
Billy. 

"  You  damned  —  " 

"  No  profanity,  remember,  there  are  ladies  pres- 
ent. So  you  walked  in,  and  by  Jove !  —  well,  it 
took  nerve,  anyhow,  Karl,  even  if  you  could  pose 
for  my  photograph.  Now  go  on  with  the  story." 

Karl  looked  intently  at  Mrs.  Sabiston,  who  made 
a  barely  perceptible  sign  that  she  understood  what 
was  in  his  mind. 

"  Karl,  did  you  have  the  audacity  to  attend  the 
conference  this  morning  of  the  Board  of  Strategy?  " 
There  was  deep  anxiety  in  Billy's  voice. 

"  God !  I  was  there,  and  never  thought  of  it. 
I  am  a  fool." 

"  That  is  what  I  have  been  telling  you,"  laughed 
Billy,  his  blue  eyes  smiling  again.  "  And  now,  how 
about  those  papers  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  papers,"  answered  Karl,  doggedly. 
305 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  They  are  in  his  pocket,"  interjected  Elfrieda, 
who  was  standing  by  the  big  table  in  the  middle 
of  the  room.  "  They  are  yours,  you  have  a  right 
to  know." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  Frieda  has  decided  not  to 
go  back  to  Germany,"  observed  Mrs.  Sabiston, 
sweetly. 

"  Nobody  is  going  back  to  Germany,"  amended 
Billy. 

"  Indeed  ?  "  smiled  Margaretha. 

"  Now  Karl,"  said  Billy,  "  don't  become  too  en- 
thusiastic over  passing  those  papers  to  me.  Keep 
your  hands  out  like  that,  there,  I  '11  find  them," 
and  he  felt  in  Karl's  coat,  and  brought  out  the 
black  leather  case. 

"  Those  are  the  papers,"  said  Elfrieda.  "  Oh. 
what  have  I  done,  what  have  I  done !  " 

"  You  have  betrayed  me,  you  have  betrayed  your 
mother  and  sisters,  you  have  betrayed  your  Father- 
land, that  is  what  you  have  done,"  cried  Karl. 

"  Are  these  all  the  papers  you  took?  "  asked  Billy, 
smiling  to  the  eyes. 

"  He  took  nothing  else,"  said  Frieda. 

"  Have  you  examined  the  contents?  " 

Elfrieda  shook  her  head. 

"  I  '11  answer  none  of  your  questions,  you  damned 
traitor.  Take  that  gun  away."  Karl  flashed  an- 

306 


THE   PARTING  OF   THE   WAYS 

other  signal  to  Mrs.   Sabiston,   who  inclined  her 
shapely  head. 

"  Open  it,  Frieda,"  and  Billy  passed  the  case  to 
her. 

With  nervous  ringers  that  shook  so  that  she  could 
scarcely  loosen  the  fasteners,  Elfrieda  opened  the 
black  leather  case.  Two  small  packages,  tied  with 
purple  ribbon,  dropped  out.  She  stooped  and  picked 
them  up,  and  cried : 

"  My  letters !  " 

"  All  you  have  ever  written  to  me,  all  these  long 
years,"  smiled  Billy.  "  I  've  always  carried  them 
about  with  me  wherever  I  have  gone.  That  is  all 
that  the  case  contains,  and  Karl  put  his  head  in  a 
noose  to  get  them." 

"  Why,  no,"  said  Frieda,  "  here  is  something  else, 
two  bits  of  paper,  folded  up.  Shall  I  take  them  out? 
See,  they  are  under  the  lining." 

"  I  had  forgotten  about  them,"  answered  Billy. 
"  I  must  have  put  them  in  there  years  ago." 

Elfrieda  took  them  out  carefully,  two  sheets,  be- 
ginning to  turn  yellow,  and  rubbed  quite  black  from 
contact  with  the  leather,  and  spread  them  upon  the 
table, 

"  '  The  United  States  District  Court  —  '  Why, 
Billy,"  she  cried,  "  they  are  your  father's  naturali- 
zation papers." 

307 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  I  remember  the  day  he  gave  them  to  me,"  said 
Billy,  his  voice  hushed,  "  the  day  he  died,  and  I  re- 
member, too,  the  night  he  brought  them  home,  and 
showed  them  to  us,  you  remember,  Karl,  don't  you, 
how  glad  and  proud  he  was  ?  And  he  told  us  that 
he  was  an  American,  and  that  he  had  made  us  Amer- 
icans, too,  and  —  God  help  you,  Karl,  you  are  an 
American  citizen  now !  " 

"  Take  that  gun  away,  and  I  '11  show  you  what 
I  am." 

"  It 's  true,  Karl,  don't  you  see  ?  I  've  been  an 
American  since  my  childhood,  I  Ve  always  known 
that.  When  father  became  an  American  citizen  we 
were  minors,  and  so  we  became  American  citizens, 
too." 

"  I  went  back  to  Germany,"  said  Karl. 

"  Were  you  ever  naturalized  a  German  subject?  " 

"  Of  course  not." 

"  Then  you  are  an  American  citizen  today,  just 
the  same  kind  of  an  American  as  I  am,  as  good  an 
American  as  Frieda,  or  Mrs.  Sabiston,  who  were 
born  here.  That  is  the  law." 

"What  law?"  asked  Karl. 

"  The  law  of  the  United  States." 

"  Germany  does  not  recognize  that  law,"  replied 
Karl. 

"  The  trouble  with  Germany  is  that  she  does  n't 
308 


THE   PARTING  OF  THE   WAYS 

recognize  any  law,"  said  Billy,  "  but  the  time  is  com- 
ing when  she  will  have  to  recognize  a  good  many 
that  she  now  ignores,  and  when  that  time  does  come 
this  naturalization  law  that  made  you  and  me  Ameri- 
cans will  be  at  the  top  of  the  list." 

"  Put  up  that  gun." 

"  You  are  the  traitor,  Karl !  " 

"  Damn  you,  let  me  go." 

"  I  can't  let  you  go.  Frieda,  call  up  the  Charles- 
town  Navy  Yard —  for  me." 

There  was  no  whit  of  color  in  her  face  as  she 
started  for  the  alcove,  where  the  telephone  stood 
upon  a  table.  Her  hands  hung  limply  at  her  side. 
"  You  are  tearing  the  heartstrings  out  of  me,"  she 
said,  "  tearing  me  to  pieces,  killing  me,  both  of  you." 

"  You  will  denounce  me  ?  "  Karl  looked  from 
Elfrieda  into  Billy's  eyes. 

"  I  must.  It  is  no  longer  personal,  it  is  a  duty. 
You  are  a  spy." 

"  Then  you  will  have  to  inform  against  her,  also," 
said  Karl,  and  looked  at  Frieda ;  "  she  came  to  aid 
me." 

"For  that!" 

"  What  else  would  bring  her  here  at  such  a  time 
as  this?" 

"  It  is  not  so.    Say  that  it  is  not  so,  Frieda." 

Elfrieda  bowed  her  head. 
309 


MY   COUNTRY 

"It  is  true?" 

"  She  was  to  go  back  by  another  route,  and  take 
copies  of  anything  that  I  might  obtain.  If  one 
failed,  the  other  would  get  through.  She  has  Italian 
passports,  forged.  She  told  me  the  paper  in  your 
watch  contained  the  combination  of  your  safe." 

"  Elfrieda !  You  did  not  do  that !  "  She  did  not 
speak. 

"  She  guided  me  to  the  Navy  Department,  showed 
me  your  room,  talked  to  the  man  Wallis  while  I 
took  this  damn  leather  case.  What  you  do  to  me, 
you  do  to  her.  Remember  that." 

"  Say  something,  Elfrieda."  Billy  looked  at  her 
imploringly. 

"  What  can  she  say  ?  "  cried  Karl.  "  We  planned 
this  in  Berlin,  and  now  we  are  ready  to  go  back. 
Come  with  us,  brother,  and  you  shall  marry  her 
there.  I  give  you  one  last  chance,  for  your  honor 
—  arid  your  happiness." 

"  Call  up  the  Navy  Yard,  Elfrieda."  She  moved 
on  a  step. 

"A  man  who  would  betray  his  country  and  his 
brother  would  betray  the  woman  he  loves,"  said 
Karl.  "  He  would  betray  anything." 

"  What  he  said  of  me,"  said  Elfrieda,  steadying 
her  way  across  the  room  at  table  and  chair,  "  is 
true,  except  one  part.  They  sent  me  here  because 

310 


THE    PARTING   OF   THE   WAYS 

I  knew  you  —  and  God  help  me,  I  let  them  do  it. 
I  was  wild,  mad  with  fervor.  I  had  seen  my  friends 
go  to  the  front,  and  not  return.  I  had  seen  Helena 
a  bride  and  a  widow  in  a  few  weeks  of  horror  while 
the  slaughter  at  Verdun  was  going  on.  I  had  seen 
those  I  loved  weeping  for  their  sons  and  fathers. 
They  sent  me,  and  I  came." 

"  I  understand,  dear."  The  tenderness  had  come 
back  to  Billy's  voice. 

"  I  saw  you,  and  I  began  to  think,"  she  went  on, 
"  to  lie  awake  at  nights,  my  brain  burning,  my  soul 
in  torment.  And  you  reminded  me  that  I  was  born 
here.  I  thought  I  should  go  mad.  I  tried  to  think 
that  I  was  n't  an  American,  I  tried  to  tell  myself 
so,  and  I  could  n't.  It  kept  coming  back,  coming 
back,  coming  back.  It  gave  me  no  peace,  no  rest, 
for  I  saw  then  what  lay  beyond.  And  Karl  came !  " 
She  swayed  forward,  and  saved  herself  from  fall- 
ing, clinging  to  a  chair. 

"  Don't  cry,  dear  heart." 

"  And  then  —  I  refused  to  do  what  he  ordered, 
and  he  made  me.  He  held  that  pistol,  that  you 
hold  now  in  your  hand,  in  the  pocket  of  his  coat, 
and  pressed  it  up  against  me  as  we  walked  along, 
as  we  went  into  your  office,  and  I  saw  by  his  eyes 
that  he  would  kill  me,  as  he  said  he  would,  if  I 
failed  him." 

311 


MY   COUNTRY 

Billy's  eyes  were  shining,  but  all  he  said  was: 
"  Now  call  up  the  Navy  Yard,  Elfrieda,  it  is  get- 
ting late." 

"  Halt!  "  cried  Karl.  "  Don't  touch  that  'phone. 
You  and  I  will  be  away  from  here  in  a  few  minutes 
now,  but  do  you  want  to  betray  Margaretha  ?  She 
must  remain." 

"  Don't  bother  about  the  Navy  Yard,"  com- 
manded Billy,  crisply.  "  Ask  Central  to  connect 
you  with  the  nearest  police  station,  the  sheriff, 
anybody." 

Mrs.  Sabiston  left  her  chair,  walked  to  the 
mantelpiece,  picked  up  a  Chinese  porcelain  vase, 
and  hurled  it  with  all  her  strength  against  the  door 
opening  into  the  hall.  She  threw  back  her  head, 
the  corn-silk  hair  tumbling  about  her  white  shoul- 
ders, and  shouted: 

"Hilfe!    Hilfe!" 

Billy  circled  around  his  brother,  keeping  him 
covered  with  the  gun,  and  backed  against  the  fire- 
place, facing  the  door. 

"Max!    LudwigV  screamed  Margaretha. 

A  door  slammed  somewhere  in  the  distant  part 
of  the  big  house,  and  a  moment  later  a  huge  blonde 
man,  with  a  closely-cropped  head,  came  in,  his  eyes 
staring  with  excitement,  a  rifle  in  his  hand. 

There  was  the  bark  of  an  automatic,  and  the  big 
312 


THE   PARTING   OF   THE   WAYS 

blonde  man  dropped  his  Winchester,  and  threw  his 
hand  to  his  mouth,  smearing  his  face  with  blood. 

"  Never  mind  the  'phone  now,  Frieda,"  said 
Billy.  "  Pick  up  that  rifle  and  bring  it  to  me.  Stay 
where  you  are,  Karl!  " 

"  Do  not  move,  Elf rieda,"  commanded  Karl ; 
"  you  are  under  my  orders." 

She  hesitated. 

"  We  are  on  the  same  side,  you  and  I,  dear," 
said  Billy. 

"  She  came  to  aid  me,"  cried  Karl,  thickly.  "  Re- 
member, Frieda,  you  swore  you  would  be  true.  I 
hold  you  to  that  oath." 

"  She  must  choose  between  us,"  Billy  answered 
softly;  "  she  has  come  to  the  parting  of  the  ways." 
He  turned  his  head  for  an  instant,  and  smiled  at 
her. 

"  All  right,  Billy,"  cried  Frieda,  her  voice  sud- 
denly strong  and  vibrant.  She  started  to  obey,  but 
stopped,  and  stood  listening.  There  was  the  clatter 
of  hurrying  feet  on  the  stairs,  and  the  next  instant 
the  butler  was  in  the  doorway. 

"  The  men !   Ludwig,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston. 

"  Sie  kommen." 

A  tall,  distinguished-looking  man,  with  a  heavy 
face  and  brown  mustache,  rushed  in,  drawing  a 
pistol  as'  he  came.  Behind  his  back  were  five  young 


MY   COUNTRY 

fellows,  smooth-shaved  of  pate  and  pink  and  white 
of  skin. 

"  Get  him !  "  commanded  Karl  in  German,  and 
jerked  his  head  toward  Billy. 

Billy  threw  his  gun  as  he  spoke,  and  pulled  the 
trigger. 

"  Confound  your  automatic,  Karl,"  he  said,  "  the 
darned  thing  's  jammed  again.  There  must  be  a 
defective  cartridge  in  there." 

"  Get  him !  "  repeated  Karl,  and  laughed. 

Elfrieda  had  seized  the  rifle,  and  backed  off 
until  the  table  was  between  them. 

"Karl,"  she  said,  "if  that  man  shoots  Billy  I 
am  going  to  kill  you,"  and  she  laid  the  repeater 
over  the  lamp,  and  stood  there  tensely,  her  finger 
on  the  trigger,  the  muzzle  covering  his  heart. 

"Get  her!"  said  Karl,  and  flung  himself  upon 
his  brother,  trying  for  his  throat. 

"  Look  out,  Frieda !  He 's  going  to  shoot. 
Drop!"  shouted  Billy,  and  landed  a  right  hook  on 
the  point  of  Karl's  jaw  that  sent  him  reeling  against 
the  table. 

The  man  with  the  brown  mustache  had  moved. 
so  that  he  had  the  girl  away  from  the  others.  He 
raised  his  pistol.  The  pointer  dog  sprang  across 
the  room,  barking.  There  was  the  crash  of  shat- 
tered glass,  the  French  window  opening  upon  the 


THE    PARTING   OF   THE   WAYS 

east  piazza  suddenly  collapsed,  and  a  quiet-looking, 
middle-aged  man  in  spectacles  entered  Mrs.  Sabis- 
ton's  exclusive  drawing  room  without  the  formality 
of  sending  in  his  card. 

As  Mr.  Monson's  Colt  cracked,  the  man  with  the 
brown  mustache  lost  all  interest  in  the  proceedings, 
and  the  next  instant  several  gentlemen  connected 
with  the  United  States  Secret  Service  had  appeared 
out  of  the  blackness  of  the  night,  and  were  busily 
engaged  in  checking  up  half  a  dozen  interned  Ger- 
man sailors  from  Norfolk,  who  had  broken  their 
parole  some  weeks  before,  and  departed  without 
leaving  their  address. 


315 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

STRAIGHT  OUT  TO  SEA,   FIVE   MILES 

"  Which  of  you  is  which  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Monson 
presently,  when  the  round-up  had  been  completed, 
and  two  of  the  Secret  Service  men  had  laid  the  gen- 
tleman with  the  brown  mustache  on  the  divan,  and 
had  announced  that  he  was  merely  shot  through  the 
shoulder,  nothing  serious.  "  That 's  the  one  I  saw 
on  the  train  —  and  you?" 

Billy  told  him  his  name. 

"  And  this  man  —  your  brother,  of  course, 
could  n't  be  anything  else.  He  looks  like  a  naval 
officer,  too,  you  can  always  tell  a  sailor,  but  I  don't 
seem  to  remember  —  " 

"  He  is  a  Captain  in  the  German  navy,"  said  Billy. 

Mr.  Monson  whistled.    "  As  bad  as  that !  " 

"  A  whole  lot  worse  than  that."  Billy's  voice 
faltered,  but  he  held  his  head  erect.  "  He  is  a 
German  spy." 

Mr.  Monson's  eyes  shone.  "  And  your  brother, 
your  twin  brother !  "  He  held  out  his  hand,  silently, 
and  Billy,  hesitating,  took  it. 

"  It  was  no  easy  thing  to  do,"  he  smiled  sadly. 
316 


STRAIGHT   OUT  TO   SEA 

"  Tough,  I  call  it,"  admitted  Mr.  Monson,  "  about 
the  hardest  I  ever  heard  of."  He  turned,  and  took 
a  mental  inventory  of  Karl,  who  sat  in  the  big  arm 
chair  by  the  fireplace,  his  eyes  roving  restlessly,  a 
look  of  defiance  in  his  face. 

"  Just  arrived  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Monson. 

"  Just  going,"  replied  Billy. 

"Oh!    Where?" 

"  Back  to  Germany." 

"  French  or  British  steamer  ?  "  and  Mr.  Monson 
grinned  at  his  little  jest. 

"  Submarine,"  Billy  answered  shortly. 

"  That 's  how  he  came,  I  suppose." 

Billy  nodded. 

"Submarine  coming  in  here?"  He  looked  out 
of  the  window.  "  What  kind  of  water  out  there?  " 

"  Not  familiar  with  it,"  said  Billy,  "  I  have  been 
wondering  if  the  submarine  would  come  in  here." 

"  How  long  has  he  been  in  the  United  States  ?  " 

"  Several  days." 

"  You  did  n't  give  him  away  ?  " 

"  I  was  trying  to  telephone  for  the  police  when 
you  burst  in." 

Mr.  Monson  nodded  his  head  briskly  in  approval. 

"  Been  doing  much  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  so  far  as  I  am  aware.  He  shaved  his 
face  and  got  into  the  Navy  Department." 

317 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Oh !  "  interjected  Mr.  Monson.  "  He  wore  a 
beard." 

"  At  first.  He  went  to  my  apartment  in  Wash- 
ington —  and  there  he  —  he  shaved." 

"  I  see,"  observed  Mr.  Monson,  shaking  his  head 
again,  "  you  went  back  on  him,  threw  him  down,  and 
then  he  had  to  go  it  alone.  How  did  he  get  you  out 
of  the  way?  ''  Mr.  Monson  had  come  up  very  close 
to  him,  and  stood  on  the  rug,  rising  up  and  down 
on  his  toes,  interested  from  chin  to  soles. 

"  We  had  a  bit  of  a  fight,"  Billy  began  slowly, 
"  nothing  very  serious.  He  got  me,  and  before  I 
came  around  he  had  me  tied  down  on  the  bed,  ropes 
and  trunk  straps  and  things." 

"  And  then  he  shaved  himself  —  put  on  some  of 
your  clothes,  I  suppose  —  and  beat  it,  went  to  the 
Navy  Department  —  and  what  did  he  get?" 

"  Some  private  papers  of  mine,  out  of  my  safe." 

"  Strictly  personal  ?  " 

"  That  is  all  I  had  in  there." 

Mr.  Monson  chuckled.  "  And  then  they  came 
over  on  the  B.  &  O.  —  quick  get-away.  Mrs.  Sabis- 
ton,  that 's  the  blonde.  Who  is  his  other  accomplice, 
the  pretty  girl  with  the  dark  hair?  "  And  he  jerked 
his  finger  over  his  shoulder,  to  where  Elfrieda  stood 
listlessly  at  the  window,  looking  out  through  the 
night  at  the  sea. 


STRAIGHT   OUT   TO   SEA 

"  She  —  "  began  Billy,  and  came  to  an  embar- 
rassed pause. 

"  Presumably  Italian,  weight  one  hundred  and 
thirty,  height  five  feet  seven,"  nodded  Mr.  Monson, 
talking  half  to  himself.  "  That 's  Peters'  friend." 

"  Miss  Sigbert  is  the  one  who  sent  the  telegram  to 
the  janitor  to  go  to  my  apartment  and  turn  me 
loose,"  cried  Billy,  eagerly. 

"The  dickens  she  did,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  as  if 
rather  disappointed  to  hear  it.  "  She  —  of  course 
she  did  —  sent  the  telegram  from  New  London." 

"  Yes,  that 's  it,"  smiled  Billy,  quickly,  "  but  how 
the  deuce  —  you  Secret  Service  men  seem  to  know 
everything." 

Mr.  Monson  chuckled  and  enveloped  himself  in 
mystery.  "  But  wait  a  minute,  hold  on !  "  he  added, 
"  if  she  sent  you  a  telegram  from  New  London  —  " 

"  Told  the  janitor  to  go  to  my  bedroom  and  look 
for  my  watch." 

"  But  if  she  waited  until  she  got  to  New  London 
to  do  that,  how  do  you  happen  to  be  here?  You 
could  n't  have  made  it  by  airship." 

"  The  man  whose  apartment  I  was  using  tempo- 
rarily, in  his  absence,  unexpectedly  returned," 
explained  Billy,  and  dried  his  hands  upon  his 
handkerchief. 

"  Well,  we  '11  see,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  doubtfully. 
319 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  And  then  you  came  here,  knowing  where  they 
were  going." 

"  I  did  n't  know.  I  found  it  out  by  accident  at 
the  Willard." 

"  You  did  n't  know  that  your  brother  had  been 
at  the  Department  ?  " 

"  I  learned  that  when  I  reached  here  tonight." 

"  The  dogs  did  n't  furnish  the  only  surprise. 
That  was  a  good  piece  of  work,  much  obliged." 

"  How  the  —  " 

"  Say,  look  here,"  interrupted  Mr.  Monson,  and 
lowering  his  voice,  "  I  '11  bet  you  saw  that  —  saw 
something  on  the  roof,  between  the  chimneys, 
hey  ? "  He  laughed.  "  And  then  you  walked 
around,  and  dropped  in  on  them,  and  —  the  fight 
began.  I  'm  glad  I  decided  to  come  down  tonight. 
Had  a  hunch.  Always  act  on  hunches,  always. 
You  're  all  right,  Commander  Hartmann.  I  knew 
that  a  man  who  could  write  a  letter  like  that  was 
a  good  sort,  could  n't  be  anything  else." 

"Letter?"  questioned  Billy. 

"  Letter  to  Miss  Sigbert  —  say  —  well  I  '11 
be  —  "  He  turned,  and  studied  Elfrieda  intently. 
"Miss  Sigbert  —  is  that  the  one?" 

'  The  one  ?  "  asked  Billy,  wonderingly. 

"  The  Miss  Sigbert  you  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
night  you  arrived  in  Washington?" 

320 


STRAIGHT   OUT   TO   SEA 

"  Yes,"  said  Billy,  "  that  is  the  Miss  Sigbert." 

"  You  are  beginning  to  interest  me,"  and  Mr. 
Monson  drew  him  further  into  the  alcove.  "  She 
was  supposed  to  be  in  Berlin,  then,  and  now  she  is 
-here." 

"  How  the  devil  do  you  know  that?  "  demanded 
Billy. 

"  It 's  my  business  to  know,"  and  Mr.  Monson 
drew  the  cloak  of  mystery  a  little  closer  about  him 
and  polished  his  eyeglasses  with  a  self-satisfied  air. 
"  So  she  was  in  Berlin  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  He  came  over  by  submarine,  and  she  took  an- 
other route,  probably  through  Italy  or  Spain.  She 
was  putting  one  over  about  that  telegram  to  the 
janitor  —  accomplice." 

"  Was  n't  she  about  to  shoot  him  with  that  rifle 
when  you  came  in?" 

"  That  is  so,"  admitted  Mr.  Monson,  doubtfully. 
"  You  don't  think  —  " 

"Think?  I  know."  Billy  was  eager  again. 
"  He  tried  to  make  her  help  him  in  something  he 
wanted  done,  but  she  refused." 

"  And  on  the  show-down  she  pulled  the  gun  on 
him  ?  Hum !  Well,  we  '11  see.  .  .  .  What  the  deuce 
was  that?" 

It  was  a  loud  shriek.  It  came,  evidently,  from 
321 


MY   COUNTRY 

the  floor  above,  and  was  followed  by  another,  and 
by  frantic  hammering  upon  a  door.  Mrs.  Sabiston 
started  up,  and  then  sank  back  into  her  chair,  and 
the  look  of  doubt  and  anxiety  deepened  in  her  eyes, 
that  had  been  half  closed  as  she  sat  apart  from  the 
rest,  busy  with  her  thoughts. 

"  A  woman  screaming,"  said  Billy,  and  started 
for  the  door.  On  the  threshold  he  paused,  as  an- 
other shrill  feminine  cry  of  rage  and  excitement 
echoed  through  the  hall. 

"  Up  the  stairs !  "  shouted  Mr.  Monson,  and  fol- 
lowed Billy,  two  steps  at  a  time,  one  of  the  Secret 
Service  men  at  their  heels.  They  stopped  before 
a  door  on  the  second  floor.  Somebody  within  was 
beating  upon  it  a  frenzied  tattoo,  and  a  woman's 
half  inarticulate  voice,  choked  with  wrath,  was 
yelling,  "  Let  me  out !  " 

Mr.  Monson  tried  the  knob.  "  Locked,"  said  he. 
"  Anybody  got  a  jimmy?  " 

"  Let  me  try."  Billy  lifted  the  knob,  put  his 
shoulder  against  the  door,  the  muscles  in  his  arms 
and  back  stood  out  under  his  coat,  and  with  a  final 
mighty  heave  the  panels  splintered  and  he  crashed 
into  the  room. 

Billy  had  encountered  the  indignant  lady  who 
now  confronted  him,  armed  with  a  brass  curtain 
rod,  so  frequently,  and  under  such  a  variety  of  cir- 

322 


STRAIGHT   OUT   TO   SEA 

cumstances,  that  he  was  no  more  surprised  than  he 
would  have  been  if  he  had  suddenly  met  her  on 
the  boardwalk  at  Atlantic  City  or  caught  a  glimpse 
of  her,  in  a  cab,  at  Charing  Cross.  It  seemed  the 
most  natural  thing  in  the  world  for  her  to  be  there. 
He  put  out  his  hand  and  said : 

"  Hello,  Corrie." 

'  You  dear  man ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Winters, 
throwing  down  her  weapon  and  snatching  up  a 
mirror  from  the  dressing-table.  "  How  perfectly 
adorable  of  you  to  come  here  to  rescue  me.  Lead 
me  from  this  place  and  shake  me  up  a  cocktail," 
and  with  a  final  squint  at  the  mirror  she  stepped  over 
the  broken  door  into  the  hall. 

"  Anything  to  oblige  you,  Mrs.  Winters,"  laughed 
Billy. 

"  Mrs.  Winters ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Monson  dra- 
matically. "  Introduce  me.  I  have  been  anxious 
to  meet  you  for  some  time." 

"  Pardon  me,  Mr.  Monson,  let  me  present  you  to 
Mrs.  Winters;  Corrie,  Mr.  Monson,  of  the  Secret 
Service." 

"  Secret  Service!  "  cried  Corrie.  "  My  dear  Mr. 
Monson,  get  out  your  notebook  and  pencil,  I  have 
some  things  to  tell  you  that  will  make  your  hair 
stand  on  end.  Billy,  a  cigarette,  please,  I  'm  perish- 


ing! 


323 


MY  COUNTRY 

"  Where  is  Peters  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Monson,  his  eyes 
snapping  behind  his  glasses. 

"  Peters  ?    Never  heard  of  the  man." 

"  That 's  so,  my  mistake,  Peters  knows  you,  I 
was  thinking  you  knew  Peters.  It 's  Hannibal  G. 
White  that  you  know." 

"  I  should  say  I  do  know  him,"  agreed  Corrie,  em- 
phatically, "  why,  do  you  know  —  do  you  want  me 
to  tell  you  everything?  " 

"  Everything.  But  wait  a  moment,  that  must  be 
the  wireless  room,  there  at  the  end  of  the  hall." 

"  I  looked  after  that,"  reported  Roberts,  coming 
up.  "  Complete  plant.  The  operator  is  the  man 
you  winged,  the  chap  with  the  brown  mustache." 

Mr.  Monson  nodded.  "  We  '11  get  around  to  that 
later,"  he  said ;  "  and  now,  Mrs.  Winters,  I  '11  listen. 
You  'd  better  go  back  to  the  drawing  room,  Com- 
mander, while  we  talk  up  here."  He  led  the  way 
into  the  wireless  room,  and  gave  her  the  chair  at  the 
table.  "  Everything,  Mrs.  Winters,"  he  said,  "  es- 
pecially about  that  cablegram  you  sent  from  Hong 
Kong." 

"  Mrs.  Sabiston  has  been  blabbing,"  pouted 
Corrie. 

"What  does  Mrs.  Sabiston  know  about  this?" 
asked  Mr.  Monson,  showing  even  more  interest. 

"  Then  it  must  have  been  Captain  von  Hagenah," 
324 


STRAIGHT   OUT  TO   SEA 

ventured  Come.  "  I  hope  he  did  n't  go  too  far/' 
she  added  to  herself ;  "  well,  anyhow,  burnt  letters 
make  no  scandals." 

"  Who  's  von  Hagenah  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Monson,  his 
eyes  fairly  twinkling,  "  a  friend  of  yours  ?  " 

"  Sir !  "  said  Corrie.  "  He  's  a  perfectly  horrible 
creature,  I  assure  you.  He  's  the  man  who  dragged 
me  up  here  and  locked  me  in  that  room,  and  — 
and  —  "  She  rubbed  her  lips  with  the  back  of  her 
hand  at  the  recollection  of  von  Hagenah's  kiss. 

"  Start  at  the  beginning,"  said  Mr.  Monson, 
crisply,  and  settled  himself  comfortably  on  the  edge 
of  the  table  by  the  wireless  instruments. 

Billy  went  back  to  the  drawing  room,  where  the 
Secret  Service  men,  alertly  on  their  job,  were  keep- 
ing a  close  watch  upon  Mrs.  Sabiston  and  her  friends 
without  in  the  least  appearing  to  do  so.  Margaretha 
sat  at  one  side  of  the  fireplace,  Karl,  buried  in  the 
big  arm  chair,  at  the  other.  Billy,  going  to  Elfrieda 
at  the  window,  which  had  been  propped  back  into 
place  to  keep  out  the  cold,  saw  that  across  the  hearth 
rug  they  were  conversing  silently  with  eyes,  and 
brows,  and  every  twitching  nerve  of  face  and  finger. 

Elfrieda  was  in  no  mood  to  talk.  Her  nervous- 
ness had  passed,  but  Billy  was  more  alarmed  by  the 
cold,  emotionless  frigidity  that  held  her  in  its  grasp 
than  he  would  have  been  by  hysteria.  Her  eyes  had 

325 


MY   COUNTRY 

faded  to  a  listless  gray,  her  face  was  dull,  expres- 
sionless, and  white. 

Mr.  Monson,  followed  by  Mrs.  Winters,  came  in. 
They  did  not  speak.  She  took  a  seat  by  him  in  the 
alcove,  while  he  picked  up  the  telephone  receiver, 
and  said  crisply: 

"  Long-distance." 

He  waited.  They  all  waited.  There  was  no  sound 
but  the  crackling  of  the  fire  as  the  back-log  burned 
through  and  fell  across  the  andirons. 

"  New  York,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  in  the  same  pun- 
gent voice,  and  gave  a  number. 

They  waited  again.  The  man  on  the  divan  stirred 
slightly,  and  groaned  a  muttered  curse  under  his 
breath.  After  a  while  the  telephone  bell  rang,  and 
Mr.  Monson  answered. 

"Is  Calder  there?"  he  asked,  his  lips  at  the  re- 
ceiver. "  Oh,  hello,  Calder.  This  is  Monson,  from 
Washington.  I  want  you  to  get  Hannibal  G.  White, 
tonight.  Yes,  that 's  the  one,  45  Broadway.  I  don't 
know  where  he  lives.  What?  Yes,  I  think  I  've 
got  the  goods.  And  say,  ask  New  London  for  a 
complete  set  of  all  telegrams  filed  there  at  the  New 
Haven  railroad  station  today,  and  send  them  to  me 
at  Washington.  Thanks,  that 's  all.  What 's  that  ? 
Thank  God,  now  our  hands  will  be  untied.  Good 
night." 

326 


STRAIGHT   OUT   TO   SEA 

He  hung  up  the  receiver,  and  turned  with  a 
broad  smile  upon  his  face. 

"  Good  news,"  announced  Mr.  Monson;  joyously ; 
"  the  New  York  branch  says  that  the  Senate  tonight 
passed  the  resolution  declaring  war  on  Germany/' 

Elfrieda's  knees  weakened  beneath  her,  and  she 
clasped  Billy's  arm  tightly. 

"  What  is  it?  "  he  asked  quickly,  bending  down. 

"  Nothing,  I  felt  faint.  I  am  quite  all  right 
now.'' 

Mrs.  Sabiston  and  Karl  sprang  to  their  feet. 
Then  he,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  sat  down  again, 
and  continued  gazing  into  the  fire,  but  Margaretha 
stood  steadying  herself  at  the  mantelpiece.  She 
turned  at  the  sound  of  Mr.  Monson's  voice. 

"  You  are  under  arrest,  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  he  said. 

"  For  what,  pray?  " 

"  Various  things,  I  need  not  go  into  details." 

"  You  have  no  warrant." 

"  Oh,  that  will  be  all  right,"  smiled  Mr.  Monson, 
easily. 

"  You  have  no  evidence,  I  have  done  nothing." 

Mr.  Monson  looked  at  Karl,  and  grinned. 

Margaretha  followed  his  look.  "  I  could  not 
turn  an  old  friend  from  my  house." 

Mr.  Monson  waved  his  arm  to  embrace  the 
closely-cropped  men  who  sat  together  on  the  big 

327 


MY   COUNTRY 

couch,  their  faces  blank,  their  blue  eyes  expres- 
sionless. 

"  My  servants,"  said  Margaretha. 

"  What  is  this,  anyhow,  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  he 
asked  drily,  "a  house  or  a  yacht?" 

"  You  have  no  right  to  insult  me,  sir." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  just  a  bit  of  pleasantry, 
that's  all,"  Mr.  Monson  hastened  to  say,  making 
the  lady  a  very  gallant  bow.  "  I  was  merely  amused 
by  your  nautical  taste  in  housekeeping." 

"  I  can  employ  whom  I  choose." 

"And  the  wireless  on  your  roof?" 

"  A  mere  toy,"  said  Margaretha,  but  her  voice 
shook;  "it  shall  be  taken  down  immediately." 

"  Oh,  yes  indeed,"  agreed  Mr.  Monson.  "  And 
that  man  ?  "  he  pointed  to  the  divan. 

"  My  —  my  under  butler,"  said  Margaretha, 
hesitatingly. 

"  Quite  a  come-down  for  a  Count,"  observed 
Mr.  Monson.  "  You  know  who  he  is,  Mrs.  Sabis- 
ton, so  let  us  understand  one  another;  that  is  von 
Baribel.  He  is  under  indictment  for  trying  to  blow 
up  the  Union  Station  tunnel,  in  Washington.  You 
are  harboring  here  a  nest  of  enemies  of  the  United 
States." 

"  I  shall  not  submit  to  this  indignity,"  cried  Mar- 
garetha. "  It  is  quite  evident  that  you  do  not  know 

328 


STRAIGHT   OUT  TO   SEA 

who  I  am.  Sabiston  is  my  name.  I  own  the  Sab- 
iston  shoe  factories  at  Brockton,  and  — " 

"  I  have  on  a  pair,"  smiled  Mr.  Monson,  and 
remembered  what  Peters  had  said.  "  By  the  way, 
Mrs.  Sabiston,  will  you  kindly  inform  me  where 
Mr.  Peters  —  of  course,  you  don't  know  him  by 
that  name.  Where  is  the  man  you  hired  to  operate 
your  motorboat?  " 

"  Why  —  why  —  "  stammered  Margaretha. 

"  You  told  me  the  Secret  Service  did  n't  know 
anything,"  said  Karl,  sullenly,  in  an  aside. 

"  Where  is  he  ?  "  demanded  Mr.  Monson,  sharply. 
"  He  is  one  of  our  men." 

"  You  will  not  see  him  again  in  a  hurry,"  said 
Margaretha,  vindictively,  and  bit  her  lip,  seeing  she 
had  made  a  blunder. 

"  Oh !  "  said  Mr.  Monson,  and  spoke  volumes  in 
a  monosyllable. 

"  Be  careful,  Margaretha,"  admonished  Karl  in 
a  whisper,  "  you  will  ruin  us  all." 

"  Ludwig!  "  commanded  Margaretha,  "  hang  out 
the  American  flag." 

:<  Tonight,  gnadige  Frau?  "  asked  the  butler,  in 
German. 

"  At  once,"  said  Margaretha.  "  Let  me  see, 
where  is  it  ?  " 

"  There  is  one  under  the  cellar  stairs,"  said  Lud- 
329 


MY   COUNTRY 

wig,  after  thinking  a  moment,  "  I  was  using  it  the 
other  day  in  the  big  chest  to  pack  around  some  — " 

"Ludwig!    Be  silent." 

"  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  put  out  the  flag  to  show 
your  patriotism,  Mrs.  Sabiston,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Monson.  "  There  are  other  ways  of  doing  that  — 
and  of  not  doing  it.  Besides,  we  can't  spare  dear 
old  Ludwig,  but  one  of  my  men  will  go  down  cellar 
to  see  what 's  in  that  box,"  and  he  gave  an  order, 
briskly,  with  his  eloquent  thumb. 

Mrs.  Sabiston  swayed  forward,  and  Karl,  spring- 
ing to  her  side,  caught  her  just  in  time. 

"  What  is  it?  "  he  whispered,  as  she  settled  limply 
into  his  arms. 

"  The  box,"  she  said,  her  lips  close  to  his  ear. 

"What  is  in  it?" 

"  The  bombs  White  sent." 

"Good  God!" 

"I  shall  be  ruined,"  said  Mrs.  Sabiston;  "they 
will  hound  me  to  death,  confiscate  my  property. 
There  is  no  hope  now,  for  anything." 

"  There  is  always  hope,"  whispered  Karl,  holding 
her  close  to  him.  "  There  is  still  one  desperate 
chance.  Will  you  take  it  with  me  ?  " 

She  swayed  forward,  and  her  lips  touched  his 
cheek,  and  clung  there. 

"  She  is  fainting,"  said  Karl,  and  took  her  in  his 
330 


STRAIGHT   OUT   TO   SEA 

arms;  "  let  me  get  her  to  the  air,  quickly."  There 
was  the  sharp  note  of  command  in  his  voice.  He 
bore  her  to  the  window,  Mr.  Monson  and  his  men 
falling  back.  Her  head  was  on  his  shoulder,  her 
eyes  half  closed,  but  the  color  had  come  back  into 
her  face,  her  velvet  skin  was  pink  to  where  her 
breast  lay  close  against  his  heart. 

Karl  reached  the  window,  and  opened  the  shat- 
tered frame  with  his  foot. 

"  Whiskey !  "  he  called.    "  Quick !  " 

"  Bring  some  whiskey,  somebody,"  echoed  Mr. 
Monson,  much  concerned. 

"  The  electric  switch  is  there,  at  your  left,  just 
inside  the  window,"  whispered  Margaretha,  and 
threw  out  her  hand.  "  I  have  it,"  she  added. 

Karl  stepped  clear  of  the  sill. 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  make  it?  "  he  asked,  his 
lips  nearly  touching  hers. 

"  Yes." 

"Then  come!" 

She  turned  off  the  electric  lights  as  he  put  her 
down,  and  the  whole  house  was  then  in  darkness. 
They  crossed  the  piazza  in  a  mad  flight,  and  ran 
like  deer,  keeping  in  the  shelter  of  the  shrubbery, 
her  skirts  gathered  about  her  knees  with  both  hands, 
her  silk-clad  legs  skimming  the  ground,  and  Karl 
behind  her,  urging  her  on. 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Damnation !  "  Mr.  Monson  was  suddenly  fran- 
tic. "  Where  's  the  light  ?  Find  that  switch,  some- 
body, it  must  be  near  the  window.  Where  's  my 
overcoat!  Get  through  there,  somebody,  and  after 
'em,  hard  now,  I  tell  you,  don't  let  them  get  away. 
But  don't  shoot  the  woman!"  He  groped  for  his 
overcoat,  finally  found  it  over  the  back  of  a  chair, 
took  his  searchlight  from  his  pocket,  and  flashed  it. 

"  Here  's  the  switch,"  called  Billy,  and  turned  it 
on.  There  was  a  rush,  Mr.  Monson  leading  the  way 
to  the  lawn,  shrouded  in  the  impenetrable  darkness 
that  precedes  the  dawn.  Beyond  the  rim  of  the 
pathway  of  light  made  by  his  pocket  electric  the 
night  seemed  solid. 

'  Quickly,  Frieda ! "  whispered  Billy,  watching 
them  go,  "  where  are  your  passports  ?  " 

"  In  my  satchel,"  she  answered.  "  Why, 
Billy  —  " 

"  Find  them,  hurry." 

She  brought  them  to  him  with  a  frightened  look, 
and  he  took  them,  crossed  the  room  with  a  long 
stride,  and  threw  them  upon  the  blaze.  "  We  will 
wait  here,"  he  said,  his  voice  calm  once  more,  "  these 
men  might  try  to  break  away."  They  walked  to  the 
window,  just  as  the  pointer  dog,  that  had  been  run- 
ning around  whining,  dashed  past  them.  Outside 
they  could  hear  Mr.  Monson. 

332 


STRAIGHT   OUT  TO   SEA 

"  They  must  have  gone  over  the  cliff,"  he  called. 
"If  they  cut  back  our  men  will  get  them." 

The  men  had  reached  the  edge  of  the  precipice, 
where  they  stopped,  undecided  what  to  do. 

"  Don't  see  how  they  could  have  made  it,"  growled 
Mr.  Monson,  looking  down  the  steep  chaos  of  ragged 
boulder. 

"  There  goes  the  dog,"  shouted  Roberts,  "  he  's 
following  them.  There  they  go !  " 

Margaretha  had  darted  into  the  path  that  ran 
through  her  rose  garden,  Karl  at  her  side.  They 
reached  the  cliff  at  the  top  of  the  stairway  that  led  to 
the  beach.  As  they  stood  for  an  instant  poised  for 
the  downward  flight  their  bodies  stood  out  against 
the  wintry  sky  and  the  scud  of  hurrying  clouds. 

"There  they  are!"  repeated  Mr.  Monson,  and 
plunged  away.  They  came  at  last  to  the  steps. 

"  Down  here,"  he  cried.  "  Gad !  what  steps,  I  '11 
break  my  neck.  Ice,  at  this  time  of  year !  I  never 
saw  such  a  climate.  Well,  come  on,  this  is  the  way 
they  went." 

They  picked  their  way  down  with  the  aid  of  the 
pocket  lights,  twisting  and  turning  between  enor- 
mous rocks,  some  of  them  as  large  as  a  house. 
Calling  to  one  another  in  the  darkness,  they  came 
out  at  last  on  the  shingle  beach. 

"  See  anything  of  them?  "  asked  Mr.  Monson. 
333 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Not  a  sign,"  replied  Roberts.  "  Wait !  What 
was  that  ?  Listen !  " 

They  stood  still. 

To  their  straining  ears  came  a  sound  as  saucy 
and  tantalizing  as  it  was  unmistakable: 

Putt !  putt !  putt !  putt !  putt !  b  —  rrrrr !  putt !  putt ! 

"Motorboat!"  The  voice  sounded  little  like 
Mr.  Monson's  customary  cheerful  tone. 

"Stung!"  ejaculated  Roberts.  "Look!  There 
they  are." 

The  full  moon  bored  a  hole  in  the  pall  of  night 
and  came  plunging  through  the  opening.  Belated 
cloud  drifts  floated  across  her  smiling  face,  hurry- 
ing on  to  meet  the  sun,  and  were  gone.  A  radiant 
shaft  of  beaming  mellowness  streamed  down,  fell 
across  the  pinnacle  rock,  bathing  it  in  a  soft,  white 
light,  touched  the  south  window,  under  the  big 
chimney,  illuminating  it  brightly,  and  then  went 
dancing  out  to  sea  where  it  laid  a  silver  pathway 
across  the  desert  of  waters. 

"  There !  "  cried  Roberts. 

Far  out  beyond  the  reefs  the  motorboat  rose  for 
an  instant  upon  the  crest  of  an  on-rushing  breaker, 
held  there  for  one  brief,  fleeting  instant,  like  a  gull 
at  rest,  and  then  went  slanting  down  into  the  trough 
of  the  sea,  a  spray  of  sparkling  foam  at  her  bow, 
where  the  slender  figure  of  Mrs.  Sabiston  stood 

334 


STRAIGHT   OUT   TO    SEA 

framed  against  the  night  that  lay  beyond.  Then 
the  heaving  wilderness  closed  down,  and  the  pic- 
ture was  blotted  out. 

They  walked  back,  climbing  the  slippery  stairs, 
feeling  their  way  across  the  lawn.  Mr.  Monson's 
face  told  the  story  as  he  entered  the  drawing  room. 

"  Gone?"  asked  Billy,  who  was  standing  by  the  big 
arm  chair  at  the  fireplace,  where  Elfrieda  now  sat. 

Mr.  Monson  nodded  dejectedly. 

"  Sorry  I  could  n't  help,  but  I  had  to  look  after 
these  fellows.  You  forgot  them." 

"So  I  did,"  confessed  Mr.  Monson.  "Well, 
we  Ve  got  them,  at  least.  Thank  you  for  your 
thought  fulness,  although  they  would  hardly  have 
got  away;  we  are  guarded  at  the  back." 

"How  did  they  manage  it?"  Billy  asked.  He 
felt  neither  regret  nor  satisfaction.  Since  Karl 
would  take  back  with  him,  if  he  escaped,  nothing 
of  value  to  the  enemy,  he  felt  that  perhaps  things 
had  turned  out  for  the  best. 

"  Motorboat,"  answered  Mr.  Monson,  shortly. 

"  Then  the  submarine  must  be  waiting  for  them 
off  here." 

"  That  is  so,"  replied  Mr.  Monson,  "  no  doubt 
about  it.  They  know  where  to  go."  A  line  from 
Mr.  Peters'  letter  flashed  into  his  memory.  "  Gad ! 
I  see  it  all  now  —  straight  out  to  sea,  five  miles !  " 

335 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  Five  miles  at  sea  in  an  evening  gown  on  a 
night  like  this,"  said  Billy,  incredulously.  "  It  will 
kill  her." 

"  Oh,  no  it  won't,"  Corrie  smiled,  "  she  told  me 
she  never  had  a  cold.  But  then,  think  what  she 
eats,  buttered  cereal  and  spinach." 

"  It  will  be  ten  miles  in  all,  at  the  very  least," 
Billy  added. 

"  Not  ten,  five,"  insisted  Mr.  Monson. 

"  But  she  must  come  back." 

"  I  don't  believe  she  will,"  chuckled  Mr.  Monson. 
"  We  Ve  got  too  much  on  her,  and  she  knows  that 
we  have." 

"  She  is  n't  coming  back,"  agreed  Corrie,  "  but 
not  for  that  reason.  Did  you  see  her  eyes  when 
he  picked  her  up  in  his  arms?  Well,  I  did." 

"Oh,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  "so  that  is  it?" 

"  What  makes  you  believe  they  have  gone  straight 
out  from  here  five  miles  ?  "  interrupted  Billy,  who 
had  been  thinking. 

"  We  had  a  man  here,  running  Mrs.  Sabiston's 
motorboat.  She  made  him  cover  the  course  every 
day,  five  nautical  miles." 

"Where  is  he?" 

"  We  have  n't  a  trace  of  him.  He  has  disap- 
peared." 

"  By  Jove !  Billy's  voice  was  shrill  with  excite- 
336 


STRAIGHT   OUT  TO   SEA 

ment.  "  They  kidnapped  him,  don't  you  see,  the 
night  my  brother  Karl  came.  This  Mr.  Peters 
went  out,  and  while  they  were  lying*  alongside 
the  submarine  they  pulled  your  man  aboard. 
You  won't  hear  from  him  for  a  considerable 
time." 

"  Well,  there  are  some  advantages  in  having  a 
man  on  a  German  submarine,"  said  Mr.  Monson, 
optimistically.  "  If  Peters  were  carried  off  by  a 
balloon  he  'd  come  back  some  day  with  a  counter- 
feiter. He  '11  show  up  —  like  as  not  in  command 
of  the  U-boat." 

Billy  went  swiftly  to  the  telephone. 

"  What 's  up  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Monson. 

"  I  must  notify  the  Charlestown  Navy  Yard. 
They  '11  have  to  send  a  destroyer  out,  but  I  'm 
afraid  it 's  too  late  now.  Hold  on !  I  remember 
something,  there 's  a  German  submarine  base  — 
Where  was  it  —  Karl  started  to  say  —  " 

"  Oh !  I  have  it."  Corrie  had  sprung  to  her 
feet.  "  He  told  me." 

"  Who  told  you  ?  "  demanded  Mr.  Monson. 

"  That  perfectly  odious  Captain  von  Hagenah." 

"  Say,  we  seem  to  have  missed  him,"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Monson.  "  We  must  try  to  get  him." 

"  He  should  be  burned  in  oil,"  said  Corrie. 

"  Let 's  see,  what  was  his  description,  again  ?  " 
337 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  About  Billy's  build,"  Corrie  went  on,  "  same 
kind  of  legs  and  shoulders,  but  a  horrible  crea- 
ture, face  covered  to  the  eyes  with  a  big  blonde 
beard." 

The  light  was  beginning  to  dawn  on  Billy.  "  That 
must  have  been  Karl.  It  was  Karl." 

"  Why,  it  was  almost  as  though  I  had  known 
him,"  exclaimed  Corrie,  "  positively  uncanny.  I 
felt  that  I  had  known  him  before,  although  I  knew 
I  had  n't.  Your  twin  brother !  "  She  stood  looking 
down  at  the  rug.  "  So  that  is  why,"  she  added  to 
herself  —  "I  thought  there  was  something  familiar 
—  about  —  the  lips." 

"  He  mentioned  a  submarine  base,  you  said," 
interrupted  Mr.  Monson. 

"  He  gave  an  order  about  it  to  one  of  the  men, 
told  him  to  keep  in  touch  with  it." 

"Where?"  cried  Mr.  Monson,  impatiently. 

"  Caribou  —  Caribou  Island,  that 's  it,"  cried 
Corrie,  triumphantly. 

Billy  picked  up  the  receiver.  "  Charlestown 
Navy  Yard,"  he  said  crisply,  and  waited.  "  Hello! 
Navy  Yard?  Give  me  the  duty  officer.  Yes,  yes. 
.  .  .  This  is  Lieutenant-Commander  Hartmann. 
There  's  a  German  submarine  off  —  what 's  the 
name  of  this  place?  —  Namaschet  —  five  miles  out, 
and  hello!  I  have  information  that  there  is  a  base 

338 


STRAIGHT   OUT   TO    SEA 

at  Caribou  Island.  Maine  coast,  that 's  it.  Get 
busy  —  thank^.  Goodnight." 

"  And  now  to  get  back  to  Washington,"  said  Mr. 
Monson.  "  I  '11  have  to  let  the  Boston  business  go. 
I  want  to  see  this  man  White,  and  take  a  look  at 
his  papers." 

Corrie  stared  dreamily  into  the  fireplace,  and 
smiled. 

"  You  will  go  back  with  us,  Mrs.  Winters?  You 
have  been  of  great  value —  He  drew  near,  and 
lowered  his  voice.  "  We  could  use  you  to  very 
good  advantage,  if  you  could  see  your  way  clear  — 
the  compensation  would  be,  well,  we  would  be  lib- 
eral to  a  woman  like  you." 

"  I  '11  do  anything  to  be  of  assistance,  to  serve 
my  country,"  said  Corrie,  "  and  I  '11  enjoy  it  —  if 
what  you  want  me  to  do  is  what  I  think  it  is." 

"  Smart  woman ! "  commented  Mr.  Monson, 
beaming  approval.  "  I  have  n't  the  slightest  doubt 
that  you  will  build  a  fire-proof  hotel  in  Hong  Kong 
that  will  —  " 

"  I  love  that ! "  cried  Corrie.  "  But  how  on 
earth  —  The  wonder  in  her  eyes  was  incense  to 
his  soul. 

"  I  must  get  back  to  Washington,"  interrupted 
Billy,  joining  them.  "  I  expect  to  receive  my  orders 
now  without  delay.  Let  us  take  the  first  train." 

339 


MY   COUNTRY 

He  turned  to  Frieda.  "Of  course  you  will  —  I 
am  sure  that  Mrs.  Winters  —  " 

"  I  hardly  know,"  said  Frieda,  doubtfully. 

"  Miss  Fralli  is  still  my  guest,"  said  Corrie,  help- 
fully, noting  his  anxiety  and  embarrassment.  "  Cer- 
tainly she  will  go  back  with  me." 

"  Miss  Fralli !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Monson,  and  took 
off  his  spectacles  and  rubbed  them  vigorously,  "  you 
mean  Miss  Sigbert." 

"  Pardon  me,  I  am  speaking  of  Miss  Fralli,"  ob- 
served Corrie,  in  one  of  her  numerous  imperious 
tones. 

"  It  is  a  name  Miss  Sigbert  sometimes  uses,"  ex- 
plained Billy,  looking  at  Elfrieda  with  anxiety  in 
his  eyes. 

"  Indeed  ?  "  commented  Mr.  Monson,  suspiciously. 
"  It  seems  to  me  —  " 

"  Miss  Sigbert  is  an  opera  singer,"  Billy  ex- 
plained ;  "  Fralli  is  her  stage  name,  her  professional 
name.  She  is  my  cousin  —  we  were  brought  up 
together." 

"Oh,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  subsiding.  "Well, 
let 's  be  getting  along.  We  have  a  big  car  waiting 
at  the  gate,  and  as  the  men  will  remain  here  until 
these  interned  Germans  can  be  taken  care  of  and 
this  property  turned  over  to  the  Department  of 
Justice,  it  will  accommodate  all  of  us  comfortably." 

340 


STRAIGHT   OUT   TO   SEA 

"  There  's  no  use  going  back  to  Boston  at  this 
hour,"  suggested  Corrie.  "  I  'd  rather  wait  here 
than  in  that  barn  of  a  station.  What  do  you  say 
to  a  couple  of  rubbers  of  bridge?" 

"  Better  make  sure  of  an  early  train,"  answered 
Mr.  Monson. 

"  Oh,  very  well,  then,  but  I  shan't  stir  a  step 
until  I  have  had  a  cocktail,"  and  Corrie  sat  down 
in  front  of  the  fire  with  a  gesture  that  left  no  ground 
for  argument. 

"  Make  mine  a  highball,"  laughed  Mr.  Monson. 
"  I  guess  we  can  spare  the  butler  for  a  moment. 
Roberts,  you  go  along  with  him  to  the  pantry, 
please." 

"  Pantry!"  exclaimed  Corrie,  dramatically.  "I  'm 
starving.  Some  sandwiches,  Ludwig!" 

"  I  '11  get  them,"  cried  Billy,  eagerly,  starting  up. 

"  Thank  you,  dear  boy." 

"  Miss  Sigbert  must  be  quite  faint  after  this  try- 
ing night."  He  hurried  from  the  room,  and  Corrie 
followed  him  with  her  eyes,  and  then  glanced  down 
at  Frieda,  a  crumpled  heap  in  the  big  arm  chair. 

"  Oh,"  said  Corrie,  and  walked  slowly  to  the 
window,  and  stood  watching  the  sea  as  it  came  to 
life  in  the  soft  light  of  approaching  dawn.  "  And 
I  had  thought,"  she  added  to  herself,  "  that  I  was 
going  to  get  out  of  this  without  any  punishment." 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

"  HOW  CAN  I  LEAVE  THEE?  " 

"  Anybody  home  ?  " 

"  Come  in,"  smiled  Billy,  going  to  the  door,  and 
shaking  hands  with  Corrie.  He  watched  Elfrieda's 
face  as  he  took  her  hand,  but  could  make  nothing 
of  the  inscrutable  look  that  lay  in  the  depths  of  her 
eyes. 

"  Her  position  is  intolerable,"  he  thought.  "  I  can 
do  nothing  now,  nothing  to  help  her  in  any  way. 
She  would  feel  her  dependence  on  me,  she  might 
even  think  there  was  an  obligation  to  be  kind  now 
where  she  has  been  cold  before.  I  must  be  careful, 
and  set  a  guard  upon  my  words." 

They  walked  into  Neil's  living  room.  The  shades 
were  drawn  to  the  tops  of  the  windows,  and  the 
bright,  warm  April  sun  was  streaming  in.  The  sky 
had  donned  the  springtime  garb  of  blue  it  wears  in 
Washington. 

"  Just  ran  down  to  look  in  and  let  you  know  that 
we  are  quite  rested,"  chirped  Corrie.  "  You  are 
going  away?  " 

342 


"HOW   CAN   I  LEAVE  THEE?" 

Billy  took  a  suitcase  from  the  couch,  and  threw 
it  into  a  corner. 

"  This  evening,"  he  replied  listlessly. 

"  Shall  I  help  you  pack?  "  asked  Frieda. 

"  They  may  be  cousins,"  thought  Corrie,  "  and 
reared  together  when  they  were  children,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing,  and  I  suppose  it 's  all  right,  but 
somehow  I  can't  get  used  to  it." 

"  Thanks,  no,  I  Ve  finished,"  Billy  was  saying. 

Frieda  would  not  look  at  him,  but  stood  at  the 
window,  staring  out  across  the  roof-tops  of  the  town 
that  lay  stretched  at  her  feet  like  a  languid  woman 
arousing  from  her  sleep. 

"  He  is  different,"  she  thought,  "  the  warmth  in 
his  eyes  has  gone,  and  the  smile  is  not  the  same. 
He  was  not  like  this  when  I  came.  I  have  brought 
wretchedness  and  misery  upon  him.  No  doubt  he 
hates  me,  now,  and  Mrs.  Winters  —  she  is  very 
good  looking."  She  turned  from  the  window. 
Billy  was  filling  his  cigarette  case. 

"You  are  really  going?"  she  asked. 

"  Very  soon,  now.  I  expect  my  orders  at  any 
moment." 

"  And  then  —  " 

"  Good  bye." 

"  You  must  feel  —  it  must  be  wonderful,"  she 
said,  with  a  flash  of  feminine  intuition. 

343 


MY   COUNTRY 

"  One  does  not  get  a  chance  like  this  every  day," 
he  replied  soberly.  "  It  is  what  we  have  all  dreamed 
of,  worked  for  —  and  now  —  !  " 

"  I  have  seen  so  many  go,  these  last  three  years," 
said  Frieda,  her  face  very  pale.  "  I  know  how  it 
feels.  Even  the  women  understand,  although  they 
only  stay  behind,  to  grieve,  and  wait  —  and  wait." 

"  The  man  in  Germany !  "  thought  Billy.  "  He 
was  killed  in  action!  After  that,  there  can  never 
be  a  place  in  her  heart  for  me.  There  is  nothing 
left  but  the  affection  of  a  cousin,  there  has  never 
been  anything  else.  I  shall  have  to  give  her  up,  and 
put  these  dreams  forever  from  my  mind." 

He  could  see  now,  what  he  had  never  seen  before, 
that  she  did  not  really  love  him,  had  never  loved 
him,  else  his  waiting  would  have  ended  long  ago. 
"  If  I  cannot  have  all  her  love,  it  is  better  that  I 
should  have  none,"  he  thought.  "  Still,  she  will 
always  be,  as  she  has  always  been,  the  only  one  for 
me." 

"  I  shall  be  lonely,"  said  Frieda. 

He  looked  up  quickly,  all  his  resolution  gone  in 
an  instant. 

"  Mrs.  Winters  is  going  away,"  she  explained, 
reddening. 

"  Oh !  I  see.  Where  now,  Corrie,  or  east  or 
west?" 

344 


"HOW  CAN   I  LEAVE  THEE?" 

"  I  'm  going  to  box  the  compass,"  laughed  Corrie, 
"  I  'm  going  everywhere.  I  adore  it." 

"  See  you  in  —  Kamchatka."  He  laughed. 
"  Back  to  the  Orient,  or  is  it  a  mere  flying  trip  to 
Paris  —  London  ?  " 

"  It 's  a  secret  —  can't  tell  you,"  and  Corrie  smiled 
with  delight.  "  Miss  Sigbert  has  promised  to  keep 
my  apartment,  so  I  shall  always  have  a  nice,  comfy 
place  to  run  back  to.  I  '11  be  in  town  from  time  to 
time." 

"  You  are  very  good,  Corrie,"  said  Billy,  trying 
not  to  let  his  voice  betray  his  gratitude.  He  felt  re- 
lieved to  know  that  in  his  absence  Elfrieda  would 
remain  in  Washington,  where  his  friends,  and 
Corrie's,  would  be  company  and  protection  for  her. 

"  I  am  going  down  to  Old  Point  tonight,"  Corrie 
added. 

"  I  am  planning  to  go  to  Hampton  Roads  this 
evening  myself,  by  boat."  There  was  genuine 
pleasure  in  Billy's  voice.  Between  him  and  this 
woman  of  inextinguishable  youth  there  had  long 
been  a  comradeship  that  had  been,  to  him,  as  nearly 
platonic  as  any  relationship  between  two  people  of 
opposite  sex  can  be. 

"  I  should  not  have  come,"  thought  Frieda, 
watching  him.  "  There  are  others  in  his  life.  I 
do  not  see  how  I  can  stay  here,  now." 

345 


MY   COUNTRY 

Corrie's  eyes  were  dancing  with  the  delight  she 
always  found  in  everything,  even  the  trifles  of  life, 
the  ever-bubbling  spring  of  joy  in  her  nature  that 
kept  her  young. 

"  That  will  be  splendid,"  she  said.  Elfrieda  tried 
to  find  a  source  of  satisfaction  in  it  too,  for  his  sake, 
and  could  not. 

There  was  somebody  at  the  door,  and  when 
Corrie  ran  to  open  it,  little  Wallis  came  in,  bathed 
in  gloom,  saturated  in  woe. 

"What's  up?"  asked  Billy,  quickly. 

"  Why  —  why  —  "  stammered  Wallis. 

"  I  see  it  in  your  face,"  said  Billy. 

"  You  have  n't  heard,  then  ?  " 

"Heard  what?" 

"  I  suppose  it  is  my  fate  to  be  the  bearer  of  bad 
news,"  said  little  Wallis.  "  I  hoped  somebody  else 
had  told  you,  but  I  see  you  don't  know."  He  found 
a  cigarette  on  the  table,  lighted  it,  looked  out  of 
window,  fidgeted  into  a  chair  and  jerked  himself 
nervously  out  of  it  again,  and  finally  said : 

"  Your  orders  have  been  revoked." 

"  I  have  n't  had  my  orders  yet,"  said  Billy ;  "  I  'm 
expecting  them  now,  and  intend  to  join  the  flagship 
tomorrow  morning." 

"  I  mean  the  orders  designating  you  as  Assistant 
Chief-of-Staff  to  the  Commander-in-Chief." 

346 


"HOW   CAN    I   LEAVE   THEE?" 

Billy  said  nothing,  but  he  looked  as  though  some- 
body had  struck  him  a  blow  in  the  face.  The  blood 
mounted  to  his  scalp. 

"  I  'm  terribly  sorry,"  said  Wallis. 

"  Thank  you,  old  man."     Billy  found  his  voice. 

"  I  know  how  you  feel." 

He  nodded. 

"  It 's  an  outrage,"  cried  Wallis.  "  Man !  I 
did  n't  know  how  it  would  cut  you  up  —  " 

"  I  '11  get  over  it,"  replied  Billy.  "  I  've  weath- 
ered other  bitter  disappointments.  They  all  serve 
their  purpose.  Have  you  heard  what  they  propose 
to  do  with  me  ?  " 

"  No  other  orders  are  out;  this  one  has  just  been 
issued.  Hollister  came  up  this  way  ahead  of  me,  I 
thought  maybe  you  had  heard  of  it  from  him." 

"  No,  I  have  n't  seen  Hollister.''  He  stopped,  and 
then  went  on,  "  Wallis,  I  can  speak  confidentially 
to  you.  They  had  this  done  ?  " 

"Who?"  asked  Wallis,  wonderingly. 

"  Hollister,  those  men  —  at  the  club,  you  remem- 
ber —  the  ones  who  could  n't  bear  the  thought  of 
serving  in  action  under  a  man  who  was  —  born  in 
Prussia.  That 's  the  hardest  part  about  it." 

Little  Wallis's  face  broke  into  a  smile.  He 
reached  out  impulsively,  and  wrung  Billy's  hand. 

"  Hollister  's  the  maddest  one  of  the  bunch,"  he 
347 


MY   COUNTRY 

said.  "  He  's  positively  furious.  That 's  why  I 
thought  you  might  have  seen  him.  He  wants  to 
tell  you  how  glad  —  and  proud  —  he  would  be  to 
serve  with  you  and  under  you.  All  the  men  I  have 
talked  with  feel  that  way  about  it,  Billy.  They 
think  it  was  —  magnificent." 

"  You  all  know?  "     Billy  looked  at  him  blankly. 

"  Do  you  want  to  see  the  headlines  ?  " 

Billy  groaned,  and  waved  the  paper  aside. 

"  You  should  be  glad,"  said  little  Wallis.  "  It 
has  made  everyone  see  things  as  they  really  are, 
not  as  they  imagined  them  to  be.  The  men  had 
nothing  to  do  with  this,  old  fellow,  absolutely  noth- 
ing. They  were  more  surprised  than  anybody  when 
the  order  was  issued.  There  was  no  recommenda- 
tion of  it.  Why  don't  you  ask  Marshfield?  He 
might  know.  He  was  at  the  Department  yesterday 
afternoon,  and  again  this  morning." 

"  I  guess  you  '11  have  to  go  to  Old  Point  alone, 
Corrie,"  smiled  Billy. 

"  Old  Point !  I  'm  going  down  tonight.  De- 
lighted ! "  and  little  Wallis  fairly  danced.  He  had 
found  that  he  could  talk  to  Mrs.  Winters  now  with- 
out getting  tongue-tied,  and  the  discovery  enchanted 
him.  "  Well,  I  must  be  getting  along,"  he  added. 
"  Shall  I  see  you  on  the  boat?  " 

"  I  '11  be  there,"  answered  Corrie,  "  look  me  up." 
348 


"HOW   CAN   I  LEAVE  THEE?" 

Wallis  danced  out,  and  at  the  door  bumped  into 
a  quiet-looking,  middle-aged  gentleman  in  specta- 
cles. It  was  Mr.  Monson,  and  they  were  all  glad 
to  see  him,  much  as  if  he  had  been  a  long-lost  friend, 
instead  of  a  recent  acquaintance  whom  they  had 
parted  from  but  a  few  hours  before. 

"  I  went  up  to  see  you,  Mrs.  Winters,"  explained 
Mr.  Monson.  "  The  maid  said  that  you  were  here, 
so  I  thought  I  would  n't  wait,  but  would  come  right 
down." 

"  Charmed,  I  'm  sure,"  said  Corrie. 

"  So  this  is  the  apartment  where  they  tied  you  up, 
is  it?"  he  asked  Billy,  looking  around  with  profes- 
sional interest. 

"  He,"  amended  Billy,  "  not  they." 

"  I  have  shamed  him  before  his  friends,  before  all 
the  world,"  thought  Frieda,  going  back  to  the  win- 
dow. "  I  wish  I  were  dead." 

Mr.  Monson  peeped  into  the  bedroom,  where  the 
trunk  and  bags  were  scattered  about. 

"  Going  away  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  was,"  answered  Billy. 

"What's  happened?" 

"  My  orders  have  been  revoked ;  I  have  just 
learned  of  it." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Monson,  "  we  all  have  disap- 
pointments, so  cheer  up,  Commander.  I  want  to 

349 


MY   COUNTRY 

say,"  he  added,  "  that  it 's  all  right  about  that  tele- 
gram to  the  janitor." 

He  took  a  sheaf  of  papers  from  his  pocket,  and 
shuffled  through  them. 

"  Here  is  it,"  he  said,  and  held  out  a  slip.  "  Rec- 
ognize that,  Miss  Sigbert  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  copy  of  the  telegram  I  sent  to  the 
janitor  from  New  London,"  said  Elfrieda. 

"  And  a  clever  one  it  was,"  declared  Mr.  Monson, 
wagging  his  head  approvingly.  "  Did  you  file  any 
other  telegrams  at  the  same  time  ?  " 

"  Not  for  myself,"  said  Frieda. 

"For  anybody?" 

"  Yes,  two." 

"  Can  you  identify  them?  " 

"  Of  course." 

"  Kindly  find  them  for  me." 

Elfrieda  took  a  file  of  telegram  duplicates,  and  ran 
through  them  swiftly.  "  Here  they  are,"  she  said. 

"  Hum!  "  said  Mr.  Monson,  reading,  "  this  is  to 
the  chauffeur,  directing  him  to  meet  the  train  at 
Clifton  Junction.  I  know  about  this  one." 

"  Here  's  the  other,"  and  Elfrieda  pointed  it  out 
to  him. 

"  Yes,  this  one  is  more  interesting,"  commented 
Mr.  Monson.  "I  could  n't  quite  make  it  out.  It 's 
to  White,  Hannibal  G.  White  —  "he  glanced  at 

350 


"HOW   CAN   I   LEAVE  THEE?" 

Mrs.  Winters  —  "  '  W.  H.  unsatisfactory  see  Bruch 
immediately.'  Signed  *S.'  That  'S'  is  for  'Sabis- 
ton,'  of  course,  but  who  the  dickens  is  Bruch?" 

"  '  W.  H.  unsatisfactory/  "  repeated  Corrie,  look- 
ing over  his  shoulder. 

"  Does  that  mean  anything  to  you,  Mrs. 
Winters?" 

"  Not  a  thing,"  said  Corrie,  shaking  her  head 
doubtfully,  "  I  don't  know  anybody  named  Bruch, 
never  heard  of  him." 

"  The  name  is  familiar  to  me,"  said  Billy. 

"He  is  in  the  Navy?" 

"  Oh,  no,"  answered  Billy.  "  There  is  a  Bruch  in 
my  State,  the  political  boss.  He  is  the  campaign 
manager  of  Senator  Marshfield." 

"  Marshfield !  "  cried  Corrie,  her  face  suddenly 
turning  scarlet.  "  I  wonder  if  *  W.  H.'  could  stand 
for  '  William  Hartmann  '?" 

"  What  makes  you  suspect  that?  "  demanded  Mr. 
Monson,  looking  at  her  with  admiring  eyes  that 
seemed  to  say,  "  Smart  woman !  " 

"  Marshfield  had  Billy  appointed  Assistant  Chief- 
of-Staff  to  the  Commander-in-Chief,"  she  said 
slowly. 

"This  Bruch,  he  probably  did  that,"  cried  Mr. 
Monson.  "  It 's  as  plain  as  day." 

"  No,   he   did  n't,"    interrupted   Corrie,    looking 


MY   COUNTRY 

away,  "  no,  I  happen  to  know  that  Bruch  did  n't  have 
anything  to  do  with  that." 

"  He  might  have  had,"  insisted  Mr.  Monson. 
"  These  initials  must  refer  to  William  Hartmann. 
Unsatisfactory !  Well,  they  've  got  you  out,  what  ?  " 

"  I  ought  to  tell  you  something,"  said  Billy, 
"  something  I  learned  only  recently.  Marshfield 
appointed  me  to  Annapolis  —  and  Bruch  told  him  to 
do  it." 

"  And  now  he  's  told  him  to  take  this  assignment 
away  from  you,"  finished  Mr.  Monson. 

"  And  I  filed  the  telegram,"  Elfrieda  cried  out. 
"  I  have  brought  nothing  but  trouble  and  disgrace 
upon  you  since  I  came."  She  sat  down,  trembling. 
"  I  have  ruined  his  career,"  she  thought.  "  How  he 
must  despise  and  loathe  me." 

Mr.  Monson  turned,  and  looked  down  at  her  curi- 
ously, his  eyes  snapping  away  at  a  furious  rate. 

"  Did  you  know  what  that  telegram  was  when  you 
filed  it,  Miss  Sigbert?" 

Her  face  colored,  as  she  stood  up,  indignation 
blazing  from  her  eyes. 

"  Mr.  Monson !  "  she  said. 

"  There,  now,  there,  now,"  he  said  soothingly,  "  I 
knew  you  did  n't." 

"  Oh,  nobody  thinks  that,  Frieda,"  interjected 
Billy,  hastily. 

352 


"HOW   CAN   I   LEAVE  THEE?" 

"  It 's  absurd,"  said  Corrie. 

"  I  was  simply  the  messenger."  She  looked  at 
Billy  imploringly.  "  I  did  n't  know  anything,  Billy. 
You  believe  me,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  Frieda,  everyone  understands." 

"  How  about  this  Bruch  ? "  said  Mr.  Monson. 
"  That 's  what  we  are  interested  in.  He  must  be 
somebody.  What  office  does  he  hold  ?  " 

"  He  has  never  held  any  office,"  said  Billy. 

"  That 's  so,  the  big  fellows  never  do,"  agreed 
Mr.  Monson.  "  Pull  the  wires  on  the  outside,  and 
make  a  barrel  of  money  while  nobody  is  looking. 
I  know  the  type." 

"  He  's  a  millionaire  lumberman,  must  be  about 
seventy  now.  I  knew  him  when  I  was  a  child.  He 
came  from  Diisseldorf,  too,  and  knew  my  people 
there." 

"  A  German ! "  cried  Mr.  Monson,  striking  an 
attitude.  "  Now  are  n't  they  the  most  obliging 
people  you  ever  knew  in  all  your  born  days  ?  They 
don't  let  a  little  thing  like  a  war  stop  their  philan- 
thropy, no  indeed,  they  pitch  right  in  and  help  us 
run  it.  Little  hitch  up  at  the  Navy  Department, 
and  Mr.  Bruch  gives  up  all  his  private  affairs, 
neglects  his  family,  and  takes  right  hold.  Bruch 
orders  Marshfield,  and  Marshfield  —  " 

"  Senator  Marshfield  was  at  the  Department 
353 


MY   COUNTRY 

yesterday  afternoon,  and  again  this  morning,"  re- 
minded Corrie,  helpfully,  "  Wallie  said  so."  Mr. 
Monson  regarded  her  with  an  approving  eye. 

"  Bruch  gets  his  orders  from  White,  and  Mrs. 
Sabiston  gives  the  tip  to  White.  I  suppose  she  re- 
ceived her  instructions  from  Berlin,"  added  Mr. 
Monson,  "  by  way  of  that  cute  little  toy  radio." 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  ventured  Billy,  after  a  mo- 
ment. "  It  is  Karl's  work.  He  got  me !  " 

"  I  am  going  to  take  a  hand  in  this,"  said  Mr. 
Monson,  in  his  very  crispest  tone.  "  You  just  do 
like  br'er  rabbit,  and  watch  me.  Politics  at  a  time 
like  this !  " 

"  Marshfield  is  very  powerful,"  said  Billy,  doubt- 
fully ;  "  just  about  runs  the  government.  He  says 
the  President  is  going  to  have  a  third  term." 

"  He  is  trying  to  capitalize  the  President's  popu- 
larity for  his  own  benefit,"  replied  Mr.  Monson, 
in  the  cynical  tone  a  Washingtonian  always  uses. 
"  He  is  coming  up  for  re-election  himself  next 
time,  see?  He  thinks  he  's  managing  editor  of  the 
whole  works,  but  all  his  plans  will  go  to  smash. 
He  's  on  the  Naval  Committee,  and  they  do  have 
to  knuckle  down  to  him  some,  but  I  '11  fix  him  — 
when  I  have  attended  to  his  case  he  won't  be  able 
to  pry  his  way  into  the  White  House  with  a  crow- 
bar." He  turned  to  Corrie. 

354 


"HOW    CAN    I   LEAVE   THEE?" 

"  How  well  do  you  know   Senator  Marshfield, 
Mrs.  Winters?  "  he  asked  in  a  low  tone.     "  Maybe 
—  when  you  come  back  from  Fortress  Monroe  - 
well,  I  '11  take  that  up  with  you  later.     And  now, 
can  I  see  you  about  that  matter  down  there  ?  " 

"  Come  right  up  to  my  apartment,"  smiled  Corrie 
cheerfully,  "  and  we  can  have  a  nice,  long  talk." 
She  called  over  her  shoulder,  at  the  door,  "  Excuse 
me,  won't  you  —  I  '11  be  back." 

Elfrieda,  in  a  simple  little  pink  dress,  sat  in  the 
sunshine,  and  Billy  watched  her  as  he  went  to  the 
table,  and  found  the  cigarettes. 

"  Will  you  join  me?  "  he  asked,  offering  her  his 
case. 

"  Thank  you,  no." 

"  I  thought  —  " 

*'  I  'm  not  a  real  opera  singer  yet,  Billy,"  she  re- 
minded him. 

"  —  that  maybe  Corrie  had  taught  you  how. 
That 's  where  all  the  young  girls  learn.  They  are 
crazy  about  her." 

;<  The  men  seem  very  fond  of  her,  too,"  said 
Frieda,  "  I  never  saw  a  woman  with  so  many 
friends.  She  is  so  —  interesting." 

"  She  is  an  institution,"  laughed  Billy,  "  we  could 
not  get  along  without  her." 

"  You  have  known  her  long?  " 
355 


MY  COUNTRY 

"  Do  you  remember  the  day  I  spent  with  you  in 
Berlin,  when  I  was  on  my  midshipman  cruise  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  Billy.  We  walked  in  the  Tiergarten, 
and  sat  on  the  bench  under  the  lindens." 

"  And  then  you  sent  me  away,"  he  finished  slowly. 
"  Well,  when  we  left  Kiel  the  ship  touched  at 
Malta,  and  I  met  Corrie  there.  Her  husband  was 
a  Consul,  then.  A  year  later  I  ran  across  her  in  the 
Orient.  She  was  a  widow,  and  trying  to  remember 
it,  and  after  that  I  met  her  everywhere.  She  has 
a  wanderlust,  and  loves  her  freedom  more  than 
any  woman  I  have  ever  known  —  but  one." 

"  It  is  plain  that  she  is  a  widow  from  choice." 

"  Her  scalps  would  fill  a  wigwam,  but  she  is 
wary,  she  could  not  settle  down." 

"  A  navy  man  was  made  for  her,"  said  Frieda. 

"A  good  many  of  them  have  thought  so,"  Billy 
laughed. 

"  She  will  marry  some  day,  I  am  sure." 

"  The  flags  will  be  at  half  mast  if  she  does." 

"I  wonder  if  he  loves  her?"  thought  Elfrieda. 
"  Certainly,  he  is  no  longer  mine."  She  looked 
away  across  the  rooftops,  and  the  forest  of  trees, 
lining  all  the  streets  and  avenues,  coming  to  life 
and  putting  on  their  Easter  clothes,  and  suddenly 
her  soul  felt  limp,  and  all  her  heart  seemed  ebbing 
away.  "  I  thought  the  other  day  that  I  had  ruined 

356 


"HOW   CAN    I   LEAVE  THEE?" 

his  life,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  but  now  I  see  that 
I  have  spoiled  my  own.  I  have  thrown  away  his 
love." 

She  got  up  quickly,  and  began  walking  up  and 
down  the  room  nervously,  her  hands  clasped  behind 
her  head. 

"  Billy,"  she  said  presently,  "  I  want  to  go  into 
the  Red  Cross." 

There  was  sympathy  and  understanding  in  his 
look  as  he  replied,  "  I  think  it  would  be  splendid, 
Frieda.  You  have  done  work  of  that  kind  in 
Germany?  " 

"  No,"  she  replied  slowly,  "  I  did  nothing  there 
until  I  —  I  let  them  send  me  here.  Oh,  Billy,  do 
you  hate  me  for  coming  here  ?  " 

"  You  promised  me,  one  day  in  the  arbor  at  home, 
that  you  would  come  back  to  me,"  he  said,  evading 
her  question,  and  wished  he  had  not  spoken.  "  I 
am  always  forgetting  myself,"  he  thought.  "  She 
does  not  remember  things  like  that." 

"  I  always  intended  to,  Billy,  always,  but  I  never 
dreamed  that  I  would  come  the  way  I  did." 

"  Don't  scourge  yourself,  Elfrieda.  You  came 
because  you  thought  that  when  you  reached  here 
you  would  find  me  with  you,  on  your  side." 

"  Yes,  that  is  true,"  she  cried  eagerly;  "  I  did." 

"  Well,  we  are  on  the  same  side." 
357 


MY   COUNTRY 

:<  You  think  —  I  know  it 's  true  —  and  yet  —  I 
have  blundered  so,  and  I  have  broken  my  oath. 
It  hurts,  Billy,  it  hurts  me  terribly." 

"  Oath,  Frieda  ?    What  oath  ?  " 

"  I  swore  to  Karl  I  would  not  betray  my  country. 
He  made  me,  but  I  swore  it,  just  the  same." 

"  And  when  the  test  came,  Frieda,  you  were  true." 

"  What  —  I  do  not  understand  —  oh,  yes,  I  do 

—  this  is  my  country,  isn't  it?" 

"  You  are  paying  the  penalties  of  a  dual  national- 
ity, Frieda  —  and  so  am  I.  Grit  your  teeth,  and 
hold  on.  We  are  under  the  knife  now,  and  the 
operation  is  severe,  but  it  will  cure.  Only  those 
whose  roots  in  a  country  go  deeper  than  ours  escape 
unscathed  at  a  time  like  this,  and  there  are  many 
like  us,  in  this  country,  in  every  country.  Boundary 
lines  are  more  distinct  on  the  map  than  they  are  in 
the  census.  Find  out  where  your  allegiance  lies, 
and  then  hang  on  like  grim  death." 

"  You  do  not  have  to  find  it,"  said  Elfrieda ;  "  it 's 
a  thing  that  comes  to  you,  Billy,  like  something  very 
clear  and  illuminating  that  pops  into  your  mind  at 
night,  just  as  you  are  dropping  off  to  sleep.  I  know 
where  my  allegiance  belongs  —  this  is  my  country 

—  but  I  shall  have  my  heartaches,  just  the  same." 
"  The  man  in  Germany ! "  said  Billy,  thinking 

aloud. 

358 


"HOW   CAN   I   LEAVE  THEE?" 

"  What 's  that?  "  she  cried,  startled  by  his  tone, 
and  turning  to  him  swiftly. 

"  Forgive  me,  Frieda,  I  did  not  mean  to  speak  of 
it  again.  You  are  entitled  to  your  sorrow,  your 
grief  for  him,  your  love.  I  did  not  mean  to  hurt 
you." 

"  What  on  earth  are  you  talking  about  ?  " 

"  The  man  in  Germany  —  who  died,  the  man  — 
you  told  me  about  him,  the  day  we  were  in  the 
country  together." 

"  I  am  so  foolish  and  silly,  Billy.  There  was  no 
man  in  Germany." 

"  No  man  —  " 

"  There  never  was.  It 's  just  the  romance  in  me. 
I  'm  always  saying  things  like  that,  because  they  — 
they  sound  —  you  think  I  'm  quite  absurd,  don't 
you  —  it 's  the  drama  of  it,  Billy.  ...  A  foolish 
little  fib." 

"  Frieda !  "  He  went  to  her  across  the  room,  and 
stopped.  The  bell  was  ringing. 

"Confound  it!" 

Elfrieda  opened  the  door. 

"  Miss  Sigbert,  here  is  a  letter  for  you."  Mr. 
Monson's  face  was  beaming. 

"Oh  — thank  you." 

"  I  'm  sorry  —  delayed  —  I  hope  you  will  under- 
stand. I  told  Peters  it  was  a  shame.  I  put  it  in  my 

359 


MY   COUNTRY 

pocket  to  give  to  you,  and  forgot  it.  Well,  better 
late  than  never,  you  know."  He  trotted  off. 

"  Why,  Billy,"  said  Elfrieda,  "  it 's  one  of  yours 
—  and  it  has  been  opened." 

"  The  letter  I  wrote  to  you  the  night  I  arrived 
in  Washington.  They  have  held  it  up.  It  is  an 
outrage,  I  shall  see  about  it" 

Elfrieda  sat  down  on  the  piano  bench,  tore  away 
the  envelope,  and  began  reading.  Once  she  looked 
up  at  him,  quickly,  under  her  lashes. 

"What  is  it,  Frieda?" 

"  You  have  changed,  since  you  wrote  this  ?  " 

"  Changed  ?  No,  Frieda,  I  have  never  changed. 
I  have  always  been  the  same." 

She  finished  the  letter,  and  thrust  it  in  her  dress, 
her  hands  found  the  keys,  she  struck  a  mighty  chord, 
and  then  she  sang,  wildly,  madly,  exultantly;  all 
the  golden  melody  of  her  soul  came  pouring  out. 

Billy  leaned  toward  her  across  the  piano.  Her 
mood  changed,  and  she  began,  softly,  the  little  song 
that  she  had  sung  for  Ruhlmann,  and  as  she  raised 
her  crimson  face  he  saw  that  in  her  mist-dimmed 
eyes  the  purple  light  was  shining  for  him. 

THE   END 


University  of  California  Library 
Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


Phone  R 


310/825-9188 

MOC106  19W 


enewals 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000041  812     9 


